The Red Tempest of Konoha
by StormyRebel
Summary: Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato gave birth to a little girl with her mothers' 'red thread of fate'. Now, twelve and a half year later, Uzumaki Naruto is ready to take the shinobi world with storm. As the heiress to the infamous Uzumaki clan, she wields power she didn't have before. Fem! Naruto paired with Kiba.
1. Her Past

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

**Summary: Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato gave birth to a little girl with her mothers' red thread of faith. Now, twelve and a half year later, Uzumaki Naruto is ready to take the shinobi world with storm. As the heir to the infamous Uzumaki clan, she wields power she didn't have before. Female Naruto, paired with Kiba. This story has taken form from inspiration in S'TarKan's story 'Team 8', but it has many differences. To name a few; Naruto is a girl, Kiba is on Team 8, not Shino, and last, Naruto isn't dead-last.**

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Beta'ed by Skyking99 05-15-2013**

**Chapter 1: **Her Past

* * *

It was one of those days in the village of Konohagakure no Sato. It was spring, and the sun was shining warmly over the Hokage-monument and across the village. A few clouds drifted across the sky on a mild wind, just as a last touch on a perfect day. It was a day where nothing could go wrong. And as taken out of a book, down walked one Uzumaki Naruto, one of the truest beauties in all of Konoha. She was 152 centimeters high, with beautiful red hair down to her waist, a kind of hair you couldn't find on anyone else in Konoha. Her body was well-developed and strong. Her stomach was firm and her arms bulging just the slightest, showing she knew how to pack a punch. She could easily go for a fourteen-year-old. She was a true beauty of Konoha.

True to the warm climate of Hi no Kuni, her outfit consisted of a short-sleeved, tan kimono-like blouse with a dark embroidered border, held closed with a black colored obi' a dark skirt and stockings that stopped at her thighs along with brown sandals, much like her mother had worn so many years ago.

What caught many of the village citizens' attention were her face and her eyes. They could have sworn they had seen the shape of her chin, the color of her eyes, and the shape of her nose somewhere before. One who knew where that similarity came from was the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. He knew of the girl's heritage, and could see the many similarities between father and mother, and their daughter. Though she had inherited the famous Uzumaki hair, close to everything else was Namikaze, the eyes, the face, the way she held her posture, and the way she walked with confidence. Yes, she had many similarities to her deceased parents, but there were differences too. The difference with her parents was from the look she had in her eyes; they were calculating and didn't let any emotions out, whereas Minato's had been warm and outgoing. The girl had seemed to build walls all around her over the years, not daring to let anyone get close to her. She wasn't, and had never been, cold or mean, but she was straight to the point, and didn't care for wasting time. In truth, Sarutobi knew she was so much more. He was one of the few lucky persons she opened up to.

* * *

Naruto's calculating gaze went over the civilians and shinobi around her. Most were giving her that hateful glare that she had been receiving since she didn't know when. Even in her earliest memories at the orphanage, the caretakers wouldn't care much for her. It had been a few years since she found out why they did it. With the answer she had been looking for, for so long, she had shifted her concentration to other things. '_That's what mom would've wanted…'_ she thought to herself. She tore her eyes away from the hard eyes of the inhabitants of the village, and continued towards the academy.

Today was no ordinary day. The whole village was buzzing with activity, much more than any other day. Today was the day of the genin-exam in the Shinobi Academy of Konoha. She was planning to graduate at the top of her class, a spot she had held for the larger part of last three years.

To many, it had been a surprise when the dead-last Uzumaki-brat had gone from the loudmouthed tomboy, to the calculated and calm prodigy. And of course, she had received questions from left and right, ranging from 'How have you gotten so good?' to 'How the hell do you manage to cheat like that!' There were many more, far darker, questions asked behind her back.

She never did answer them, not in detail anyway. It was a matter between her, the Sandaime Hokage, and her mother. She remembered the day as if had happened just the day before; the day her life changed forever, the day where she had gotten her answers.

- Flashback 3 years ago -

_A ten-year-old, orange-clothed Naruto was sitting in her bed crying. She couldn't understand why all the grownups were so mean to her! She hadn't done anything! Ever! She was just a normal little girl that always smiled, and tried to be friends with anyone and everyone. So why then, why did they call her 'demon bitch', 'demon whore', and blame her for oh so many deaths? All she had tried to do was enjoy the festival, which was today, that celebrated the Kyuubi's defeat by the hand of the Yondaime Hokage, her hero. Today was even her birthday, a day which should be filled with happiness and joy; however, as soon as she had entered the festival grounds, she had received those mean looks and dirty words. There had even been some who tried to beat her! But they had tried that before, and she knew how to escape and hide… Was one good birthday too much to ask? Was one friend to much to have?_

_A knock on her door brought her momentarily out of her misery. That soon ended as she looked frightfully at the door; no one ever visited her but Sandaime-ojisan, and he only did it once every month to give her the money she lived for. That would mean it could only be one of _them_ coming to her home to beat her up, or worse… She scrambled to get the window open, so that she could make an escape, when a voice sounded from the other side of the door._

"_Naruto-chan, it's me, Hiruzen"_

_Naruto immediately recognized it as her grandfather figure's voice, the voice of the Sandaime. Her small feet quickly tapped over the wooden floor to the door. She tore the door open, and hugged the old man's robes crying her heart out. He was the only one who ever cared for her, who ever understood her. The old Hokage patted the girl comfortingly on her head, as he stepped inside. It was times like these that he was ashamed of being the Hokage, ashamed of leading these villagers who could do such a thing to a little girl; a little girl he saw as a hero._

"_There, there Naruto-chan. It's all going to be ok" Hiruzen comforted the red-headed girl._

"_I j-just d-d-don't und-derstand why! They a-are allw-ways so m-mean to me! I-I hav-ven't done an-nything!" the girl sobbed_

_It took Hiruzen a good half hour to calm the girl down to small sobs. He looked down at the puffy-eyed girl sitting in his lap. If one knew Hiruzen, they would know that he was having an internal conflict of some sort, arguing with himself whether or not to do something. He sighed to himself '_I guess I'll give it to her now. This is as good a time as ever… The letter from little Kushina-chan… I… I just hope I'm doing the right thing'

"_Naruto-chan, listen up." The little Uzumaki looked up at the old man with puffy, but wondering eyes. "I have something to tell you, and something to give you" he continued. He picked her up from her position on his lap, and set her on her bed. He went through his robes, searching all the pockets, to find the scroll meant for Naruto. He finally found it. He looked at scroll in his hand for a few seconds, before he handed the scroll to her. The tired and worn-out girl looked more confused than ever._

_He just smiled at her "This is a scroll from your kaa-san. She told me, just before she died, that you should receive it on your tenth birthday. She knew, and hated, that she wouldn't be able to be here for you, so she wrote this on her deathbed… Happy birthday Naruto-chan"._

_Naruto didn't need to be told anything else, as she held the scroll as if it was a holy artifact. She slowly opened the scroll with reverence, as if she was afraid that it would turn to dust at the shakiest of movements. She bit down another sob as she saw her mother's handwriting._

**. . . . .**

_My dear Naruto-chan_

_I am so sorry that I can't be there for you in the many years to come. I want you to know that I would've given close to everything to be there with you now, but fate hasn't been kind to you in that matter. Since you can't get to know me first hand, I'm going to tell you about myself._

_My name is Uzumaki Kushina, of the infamous Uzumaki clan. Yes, that's right; you have clan, Naruto-chan, more or less anyway. The Uzumaki were from the village of Uzushiogakure, of Uzu no Kuni, both of which are no more. You see, our clan has for generation studied the arts of fuinjutsu, and it paid off. We became so skilled in the mysterious arts that we began to become feared, even though we were one of smaller villages. The only reason one of the bigger countries didn't just wipe us off the map, were because of our alliance with Konohagakure no Sato. Our clan has the same ancestors as the Senju clan, and as such is related to it. The Senju are one of the founding clans of Konoha, and because of our relation with them, we had a very close and strong alliance with them. But everything has an end… In the Third Shinobi World War, Uzushiogakure were wiped out by an temporary alliance between Iwagakure and Kirigakure… By then I had already been relocated to Konoha…_

_You see, our clan also has an incredible strong life-force. So much in fact, that Uzu was also known as 'The village of longevity'. That life force made us in particular perfect to contain the bijuu, in particular the strongest of them; the Kyuubi no Yoko._

_You may or may not know it, but the first Hokage's wife were also an Uzumaki, Mito Uzumaki was her name, and she was the first jinchuuriki of the kyuubi. It was when she was beginning to suffer the disadvantages of old age, that I was brought to the village. To become the second jinchuuriki, that was my purpose. I didn't know about it then; I was just a little girl. But the time came when Mito-sama was dying, and I was told. It wasn't easy for me, that's for sure. For a long time I was angry at the village; I was containing the beast, which would destroy them if it ever got free, but they treated me like a pest. That is until I met your tou-san._

_There is another read that I was chosen over other of the Uzumaki. You see, even inside the Uzumaki clan, I have a special chakra. But that chakra also made other villages interested in me. And thus Kumo tried to kidnap me. They partially succeeded; we had gotten a good distance from Konoha, and we were getting close to the border. I was giving up hope… but that was when your father came and saved me. And that was when I fell in love with him._

_Many years later I got pregnant, carrying you. Your tou-san and I were so happy! You won't believe the fuss he made about it. After he had found out, he jumped on top of the Hokage-monument and yelled to the whole village 'I'm going to become a father!' But we were also worried… There are only a few things that can weaken a seal containing one of the bijuu, especially one made by a seal master. One of those things is childbirth._

_I can't tell you how it happened; you are not ready for it. But what you need to know is this; the kyuubi escaped its seal. It is currently rampaging the village, and your tou-san is out helping fighting the beast. I know he is going to try everything to stop it, but if everything fails, he may have to do what the Shodai Hokage did – seal the beast within a human host… And the only one who is able to contain the beast except me, is you. I would gladly take the beast with me to my death, but the villages needs it… If worst comes to worst, I am so sorry… I know how it is that everyone hates you for something you have absolutely no control over… You have to keep your chin up, and keep going. There will come a time where it isn't as hard, or rather, you have someone helping you through it. When you find those people, hold on to them like your life depended on them. And most important; you are _not_ the beast itself, you are its jailor, its prison. You are the dam keeping the river from flooding the village. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise._

_No matter what happens, always know that your tou-san and I love you with all our hearts content._

_Also, if you want to be a shinobi – and its completely up to you – I sealed some of the Uzumaki scrolls in this. You are the known last survivor our once great clan. No matter if you want to become one or not, these are yours, as the heir to clan that is Uzumaki. Know that your father and I will be proud no matter what._

_Always remember: The spiral keeps spinning, even under the strongest of storms._

_Love always_

_Your mother Kushina_

**. . . . .**

_Naruto read it again and again, not really believing what she read. It was so much to take in. She had a clan, which was close to extinct… She knew who her parents were, but they were long dead… and she… she… She was the jinchuuriki of the kyuubi. Was she the beast? No… No, she wasn't. She was its jailor. She began reading it again, when she noticed the worried look the old Hokage was giving her. At first, she just looked at him, not really knowing how to react. He had kept this from her, he knew how much she longed for a family, how much she longed to know why the villagers treated her like dirt… But he had done it out of love. A horrible thought struck her mind, and she broke the silence._

"_Is it true? It's a really mean prank if it is!" she asked beginning to half cry again._

_He looked at her sadly "It is true, both the good part, and… and the bad part." She didn't waste another second, and leapt into his arms again for a hug. The old Hokage blinked a few times in surprise before he returned the hug. He had expected many things from her; he had expected her to get angry, to get sad, to be many things. He hadn't expected this. A smile crept onto his lips; this girl kept surprising him._

"_Thank you" she said with the most sincere voice he had ever heard. "Thank you for giving the letter to me"_

_Hiruzen hugged the girl he had come to see as a granddaughter tightly "You're welcome my dear"_

- Flashback End -

She stood in front of the gates to the Academy. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and walked through them. She may not look like it, but she was just as nervous as any of the others. She had only taken a few steps into the Academy grounds, before she got the nagging feeling that she was being observed. She acted on instinct, grabbed a kunai, and threw it up between the branches of the tree beside her. She waited a few seconds, watching the tree intensely, ready to act on anything that could happen. A squirrel jumped out between the branches to the ground, and hurried away. She narrowed her eyes, but continued into the academy.

As she walked through the academy, she got the attention of everyone, boys and girls alike. Boys because she was the girl no one could have; she had gotten the nickname 'Ice Princess of Konoha' after she had beaten up a couple of boys that had kept pestering her about a date; the girls because she was the definition of beauty, but still managed to be one of the best shinobi. Naruto knew for a fact that all the other girls had to spend hours and hours on their hair, to honor one very brooding Uchiha, leaving little time to train. Naruto, on the other hand, didn't use more than a few minutes every morning and evening to brush it, which was it; yet, somehow she managed to keep it beautiful.

She ignored the looks of lust and jealousy, as she walked into the classroom and took her usual seat at the table in the back beside one of the windows. As the time went on and the other students began arriving, a quiet girl sat beside her. She glanced over to find one Hyuuga Hinata, heir to the royal family of Konoha; the Hyuuga clan. She wasn't really surprised though; no one else dared sit beside the red-haired kunoichi, lest they wanted a one-way ticket to the hospital. But to the surprise of everyone else, the shy Hyuuga girl could do it, and get away with it unharmed. There were only two people whom Naruto didn't mind sitting beside her; Hinata was one of them. She had been the only one who hadn't annoyed her to no end, either because of her hair, or because of her looks. They had a mutual understanding.

They didn't talk much to each other, but both of them couldn't help but enjoy the others company.

The room slowly began to fill with people. There were only a few people, beside Hinata, which Naruto didn't mind. There was Nara Shikamaru, the laziest person on the planet. He never did any of his work, and didn't bother to actively participate in the class, but Naruto had a feeling that wasn't all there was to the Nara. Then there was Akimichi Chouji, one of the friendliest guys in the Academy. He was large, but then again, everyone in the Akimichi clan was large; they had to be in order to use their clan jutsu. The last person she didn't mind was Aburame Shino; she didn't really know much about him. He always wore a large jacket, concealing most of his body. They all had an unspoken understanding; they didn't bother her, and she wouldn't bother them.

And then, of course, there were those she couldn't stand; Uchiha Sasuke, the brooding king of the classroom. Apparently he had gotten that way after his clan was massacred. He was overdoing it by miles in her opinion; he wasn't the only one who the last of their clan. But then again, she hadn't seen it happen in front of her eyes. The worst thing about him, which she couldn't stand, wasn't completely his fault; he had a fanclub. Of course that brought her to the end of the list. The people she could stand the least were the Uchiha fanclub leaders, Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura. She couldn't stand them at all! They were a disgrace to the name of shinobi, and its arts. It was because of people like them that kunoichi had such a hard time gaining respect around the world.

Only one person was missing now. It was a certain brown-haired boy with triangular marks on his cheeks. He was never seen without his partner, since he had gotten him a little over a year ago. She heard snickering behind her, and a small smile crept onto her lips, '_speak of the devil'_.

"So, how are you doing today, Kiba?" she asked, not needing to look behind her to know he was there.

Kiba jumped out from his hiding spot and threw his arms over the shoulders of his two favorite girls in the whole world. "Damn! How did you know I was there? I tell you, Naruto, one of these days I'm going to get you!" He smiled at them, "Now, how are the Ice Princess of Konoha, and Her Royal Shyness doing today?"

Hinata 'eeped' at the sudden contact and the nickname she had gotten from Kiba. "I'm doing f-fine Kiba-kun". While Hinata still stuttered, it had improved by leaps and bounds. Normally she would do it when she was nervous, or when she had been surprised, which Kiba was _really_ good at doing to her.

Naruto blushed deeply at the contact, and quickly moved out from under his arm, "I told you to stop calling me that!" She fought down the blush, "And if I told you how I spotted you, it wouldn't be a challenge anymore, would it now?"

"I guess not…" Kiba said after a few seconds of thinking, and sat down on the remaining seat at the table. He soon after began to tell them how they would ace the test, and they would all be tied for shinobi of the year. Naruto and Hinata smiled softly to themselves, happy to just be listening, and just enjoying each other's company. Yes, Naruto hadn't forgotten her mother's advice. She had people she trusted, people she could show her true self. By now, it would be weird to see the three of them not sitting together.

It had really started rather simple. Hinata had just started to sit beside her; a thing no one had dared to do since she had gotten one of the other students admitted to the hospital for five weeks. Naruto had briefly considered to tell her to move her ass away from the table, but had refrained as the shy girl hadn't been a bother to her. Over time she had just gotten used to her, and they'd have small conversations. Now, Naruto would actually be worried if she didn't sit beside her, though she would never show that.

And Kiba? Kiba had been a whole other story, one that she knew neither of them would forget. Kiba had always been one of the boys that had bothered her the most, even more after she started changing. He was always sneaking up on her, pranking her, and, of course, asking her out. To sum it all up, he had been annoying like hell. And staying true to her reputation, he had gotten more than a few bruises. But the message had never really sunk into the dog user's head. And she was happy that it didn't – if it had, she may not have another best friend. And he was of course also awfully cute… Not that she would ever tell him that! She was going to be a shinobi, ascend the ranks, and finally be the first woman to take the mantle as Hokage!

But back on topic, Kiba's attempted pranks and woos had continued throughout all of last year, and as it went, she had been fairly sure it was going to continue for the rest of that year too. But it had all changed after a certain episode…

- Flashback One And a Half Years Ago -

_Kiba was fuming as he left the Academy. Once again, that red-headed Uzumaki had beat him in taijutsu - and that was a _nice_ way to say it; she had completely wiped the floor with him. Again! He was the first to admit that he wasn't the best at taijutsu, to name one there was Sasuke-teme, but he was definitely not the worst. He had the taijutsu style of the ferocious Inuzuka clan, but even with that, he just couldn't land more than one hit on that Uzumaki! She weaved through his attacks like they were nothing, and when she had had enough, she just hit him in one place to knock him off his feet, effectively ending the match. ONE hit! She just got to him like no one else did. And after she had done it, she would just go back to her spot, staring blankly out into the air, like she hadn't even broken a sweat. How could one that looked so beautiful, and seemed so nice, just be so… so… so cold! He could still remember the nice and outgoing Naruto. The one he had kept picking on like all the other kids… That of course had changed over a year ago, when the Naruto they knew and loved to pick on changed. There wasn't even a transition; it was like she'd just had enough, had gotten a reason to put her food down. It had impressed him greatly, and only made him that much more set on finally landing a prank on her. But so far he hadn't succeeded…_

_But all that would change. He was soon going to have his ninken partner, and they would be the most awesome team that the Inuzuka clan, no that the whole of Konoha had ever seen, and they would kick her ass! Actually, he was going to give her a piece of his mind right now! He took a whiff of the air. Naruto hadn't left long ago, so it shouldn't too much trouble to track down her scent. And as he had thought, he could clearly smell her, that scent of something sweet, and a tint of lavender. He got lost in the scent for a few seconds, but shook his head to get out of it. He started to follow it away from the Academy. He was soon beside the Hokage tower, where it took a turn down the main road of Konoha. He walked that way for a few kilometers, while wondering where she could be going. Abruptly, it took a sharp turn down a road that lead to one of the forest areas._

_He frowned as he soon caught an earthy scent in the air. It wasn't the normal smell of earth, it was much damper, and it had an underline of… something he couldn't identify. He took a good look around and soon realized where he was going – to the graveyard. A place he really didn't want to return to… His father had been buried here a few years ago, after he had been killed on a mission. Kiba was starting to get second thoughts about this, but kept going. Now it wasn't as much as to 'give her a piece of his mind', but more of seeing what she could be doing here. He would be lying if he said he hadn't gotten curious about __who__ she was. She was such a secretive person, and never seemed to have conversations, not counting the small ones she had with Hinata. He could swear he saw small smiles sneaking themselves onto her lips when she was having those conversations, but they were erased so quickly that he thought he had seen a mirage. _

_Soon enough, he was standing in front of the great gates to the graveyard. The symbol for the Will of Fire, whatever that was, was welded onto the gate, while the kanji 'Hi no Ishi' was written below it. He took another whiff of air, and sure enough, her scent lead through the gates. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, and walked through the great iron gates, closing them behind him. The sound seemed to reverberate through the whole area, not one other sound being heard, as if the nature itself wasn't going to disturb the dead shinobi. He started walking down the path Naruto's scent was leading him to, the gravel sounded ear-splittingly high under his feet. He looked over the graves, all being well taken care of. There were flowers, cards, and much more at almost every grave._

_Naruto's scent grew stronger, and soon enough he saw her. She was sitting on top of a little hill, in front of a grave, sobbing. Wait, sobbing! As far as Kiba knew, Naruto _never_ cried. But then again, they were in a graveyard. He stepped closer, sure that she would hear him sooner or later. But that wasn't so. He was soon close enough to hear what she was saying to the grave, or rather who was buried, in front of her._

_She was crying almost soundlessly, the tears dripping down on her skirt, as she caressed the gravestone. She didn't seem to have noticed Kiba standing a few meters behind her, at the bottom of the small hill._

"_Hello kaa-san. It's me again… I brought you some Hinagiku… Your favorite kind of flower" she said smiling and laid a bundle of flowers beside the stone. They were yellow in the middle, with long elegant white petals. She knew that they meant faith… perfect for her mother, and what she was trying to tell her. She made sure they were lying nicely "I know you said that I had to stay strong, that I had to hold out until I get those few people. I think I already have one… Her name is Hyuuga Hinata. She doesn't talk very much, and she is awfully shy, but I like her. She was the first one in a while that dared to sit beside me, even when I put that poor, naïve boy in the hospital." She smiled as she remembered the first day Hinata had sat with her "but it still isn't easy. I'm trying to act all rough and tough, to keep them from harming me more, but I think it only helps pushing everyone farther away… And there's Kiba"_

_Unknown to her, Kiba tensed up behind her, not knowing if he should go away, or stay and listen._

"_He… He doesn't seem to give up" she said smiling, surprising him, "he tries to prank me, he keeps asking me out, and he annoys me to no end, but… He doesn't give up on me. I don't know why, but it makes me happy. I actually want to be his friend, but he makes it hard when he keeps all the annoying stuff up. It's kind of ironic, huh? I want to be friends with him, because he doesn't give up, but it's hard for me to start any friendship with him, _because_ he doesn't give up. I wish I could just tell him…"_

"_I didn't know" Kiba said, not really realizing he had said it out loud_

_She spun around as soon as she heard the voice. "You!" she said very angrily _

"_Why are you here? Did you follow me? How dare you listen into a private conversation like that!" she continued, now starting to hit after him._

_Kiba looked in horror and began dodging them, without running away; he needed to set this right "Now, wait just a second Naruto". He dodged another few swings from her "Naruto, just listen to what I have to say!"_

"_Why!" she said. "Why should I! You sneak up on me; listen in on my conversation, a conversation with my mother nonetheless! You know how hard it is to keep this up? I just can't… I can't…" she said starting to cry, but keeping up her assault on him. Kiba knew he had to do something. He didn't know why, but he couldn't stand to see Naruto, a person he had seen as strong and independent, cry like that. He acted without thinking, and before he knew it, he was hugging her tightly. She struggled to get out from his grip. _

"_Kiba! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" she said starting to cry for real. Soon enough she stopped struggling and laid her head on his shoulder, crying her heart out. Kiba just stood there, trying to comfort her to the best of his abilities. _

- Flashback End -

She didn't know how long they had been standing like this, him hugging her, her crying harder than she had done in years, and to be honest, she didn't care. It had been what she had needed for a long time, and Kiba had given it to her. Since then Kiba had tried to make up for it, and he had slowly, but surely, gotten into the small circle of people that she trusted. Maybe even the one she trusted the most…

It wasn't long after that that the two chunin instructors arrived, their names being Umino Iruka and Mizuki Toji, bringing the class to silence. She liked Iruka; he had always, as one of the only teachers at the academy, given her a chance - even back when she had been a loudmouthed brat. He always smiled at her, and put his trust in her. Mizuki was another story… He was the worst of all the instructors, never willing to help her, always kicking her out of his classes at every chance he got, and giving her the same looks all the villagers did. Luckily for her, she had Hinata and Kiba. They were always ready to help her learn what she hadn't because of him. They had of course already noticed how many of the villagers and instructors treated Naruto, but never asked her about it. They knew she would tell them when she was ready.

Mizuki began to walk around the class, distributing the test every student in the classroom, as Iruka began to talk. "As you all know, today is the day of the exam. There will be three tests" he said. He put on finger up "The first is a written test, testing your knowledge about anything in the shinobi world. You will have one hour from when I say start." He looked around to make sure everyone was listening. He nodded to himself and continued, now holding two fingers up. "The second test is a taijutsu test; you will be paired up with another classmate and spar. Do not worry if you don't win the spar; it's to test your taijutsu, not your ability to win. While you do that, a couple of the chunin sensei will be rating your papers, so we are ready to give you a pass/fail when you finish the last test. Now the third and final test" he put a third finger up "is the ninjutsu test. You will be required to display three jutsu, which you are told in the room. It is important that _no one_ who has taken the last exam, talks to anyone who hasn't taken it yet. Now, are there any questions?" No one raised their hands "Good then… You can begin the written test."

Naruto flipped the paper over and began to write. Most of the questions she could give in-depth answers on. Only a few of them she wasn't completely sure she had the right answer, but that didn't mean she wouldn't try and guess. She peaked up a few minutes into the test when she felt a slight chakra spike. She looked around the classroom, but no one except herself had seemed to notice it. '_I knew I felt something… But what? First at the tree outside the academy, and now this…'_ She took another careful look around the classroom, but the location from where the spike had come from stayed hidden. She sighed and continued the test.

She finished with a little over ten minutes to spare and used the last of the time to go through her answers again. When Iruka finally went around collecting all the papers, he wasn't surprised to see that she was the one who turned in the largest stack of papers. He had stopped being surprised when she had told a very good and detailed description of the formation of the hidden villages, especially the foundation Konoha and Uzu, not completely unsurprising choices by the heir of the Uzumaki clan, in his class, two years' time back.

He handed all the papers to Mizuki, who took them to the room where they would be graded by another chunin sensei, and turned towards the class, "Now that the first test is over, follow me to the training grounds for the second test"

* * *

One of the fangirls in the class flew out of the competitors ring from a kick to her stomach delivererd by Shino. Naruto sighed; she hadn't even been a challenge to the stoic Aburame. Once again she was reminded why she hated fangirls so much. The red-haired Uzumaki looked at her side of the field. There weren't many students left to spar with; only herself, Hinata, Kiba, Sakura, three guys from the class, and finally another fangirl remained. Not many of them would be a challenge. Strike that, only two of them would be a challenge; Hinata with her juuken, and Kiba with his clans taijutsu. While she was fairly sure she would win against Kiba, he still wasn't an easy opponent.

Iruka wrote something down on his clipboard, nodding. He pointed at Shino "Aburame Shino is the winner. Next up are… Hyuuga Hinata and Haruno Sakura." The two kunoichi went into the ring, getting into their respective stances. Hinata activated her family's infamous kekkei genkai, the Byakugan, and got into her juuken stance, while Sakura went into the plain old academy stance. The scarred chunin looked between the two exam-takers, and moved his arm down "Begin!"

Sakura went head-on. Naruto sweatdropped as she already knew the outcome of this fight; Hinata would win. Sakura just made it so much easier when she went head first; it was incredible stupid against a member of the Hyuuga clan. Sakura went for a few hits here and there, but with Hinata's Byakugan, and her superior flexibility, she didn't stand a chance. All on all, it was a completely one-sided spar, where Hinata completely dominated the ring. Soon after, Sakura fell out of the ring via a hard strike to her abdomen.

"Hyuuga Hinata is the winner" Iruka called, writing again, "Next up is… Inuzuka Kiba and Uzumaki Naruto"

Kiba grinned widely "Now you're gonna get it, Ice Princess. Isn't that right Akamaru?"

"Auf, Auf!" the white puppy loyally agreed

A tick mark appeared on her head, "I told you not to call me that! And it's you that's going down, mutt!"

They got into their stances; Naruto stepped into the Uzumaki stance, ready to redirect any blow against her; and Kiba crouched into the Inuzuka stance, ready to unleash a barrage of punches, swipes, and kicks. Iruka looked at the two of them, and swiped his hand through the air "Start!"

The Inuzuka shinobi charged head on, swiping at her again and again, with his dog trying to jump at her and get a hit in, but she kept dodging under and around them. Again and again he swiped, but to no avail. She kept dancing around them. Yes, dancing, it looked like that. If Kiba wasn't familiar with her style, he would have lost his cool for sure. Naruto had explained that it was part of the styles function; making it seem like the user dodged with no effort, effectively 'dancing' around the opponent, taunting them to lose their cool, and make a mistake in their guard.

After a minute or two of Naruto's dancing and Kiba's swiping, Naruto back flipped away from Kiba and landed about two meters from where he stood. Kiba smirked at the beautif- the girl in front of him; he was really enjoying this fight, even if he wasn't winning. She was the only one he didn't have a problem losing to, not that he knew why. He charged again. Naruto smiled back at him with fire in her eyes '_I guess I've shown enough of my skills to pass with a decent grade here'_. She gracefully bypassed his guard and moved around to his back. With a light punch, at least in her opinion, to his neck, Kiba buckled down to one knee. He tried standing up again, but fell back on his ass.

He sighed resignedly, "I give up".

The Uzumaki heir turned and looked boringly at Iruka with a raised eyebrow, keeping her act up.

He nodded again "Uzumaki Naruto is the winner. Next up is Amarante Riku and Keiji Akira" Once again he started writing.

Whispers sounded through the students as Kiba and Naruto went back into the line, while the two spar-mates went into the ring. The reason for their whispering was this; the Inuzuka was famous for their taijutsu, and Naruto had just taken Kiba down without as much as breaking a sweat. Along with the whispers was the glare of the brooding king.

The last fights were soon over, and Iruka called the attention of his students "And that was all. Good, now follow me inside. When we get to the examination room, you will be called in one at a time. After the test, you have to leave the room where the others are waiting. If you want to wait on someone, you can do it outside in the schoolyard" Iruka said while writing something on his clipboard.

* * *

"Uzumaki Naruto, you're next" the voice sounded from inside the examination room. Hinata and Kiba nodded encouragingly to her. She looked at the doors in front of her and took a deep breath before walking inside. The classroom had been completely remade for this test apparently. There was a table, with three sensei sitting behind it; Mizuki and Iruka were two of them. Naruto didn't recognize the third one, but the instructor clearly knew who she was and what she held, what with the glaring at all. She didn't let it get to her, and looked at them with the same calculating eyes she wore in public.

Iruka gave her a friendly smile, "Ok Naruto, we need you to show us three jutsu. The first one is Kawarimi no Jutsu. Switch with one of the logs over there". He pointed over in the corner, where there were thirty of so logs.

"Hai" she said, going through three hand-seals and replaced with one of the logs. She walked back to stand in front of them.

Iruka nodded "Good good. Now do a Shunshin no Jutsu". She nodded and made another few seals, before disappearing only to reappear a few meters away. Iruka and the two other instructors wrote something down "And last Bunshin no Jutsu".

"Iruka-sensei, I can't do the Bunshin no jutsu, I simply have too much chakra for it, or rather, I don't have efficient chakra control to not overload them with chakra" she said calmly

The woman smirked "Well, I'm afraid we have to fai-"

"But I can do something better, another kind of bunshin" she continued. She made a cross-handed seal "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Six shadow-clones appeared in the room.

The three chunin's mouths hit the ground. They hadn't expected an academy student being able do something, not even one of the most veteran jounin could do without collapsing, and spending at least a week inside the hospitals walls. Mizuki was the first to speak "H-how did you do that? Kage Bunshin no Jutsu is a Kinjutsu of Konoha!"

She shook her head "No it's not. It's one of the Uzumaki Clan's sacred jutsu. We gave its secrets to Konoha in good spirit while the Shodai still reigned. It has been put to good use in Konoha, but its origins will always lie with the Uzumaki".

They didn't have any comment to that. Iruka looked at first Mizuki, then the other chunin, both who nodded reluctantly. He then smiled to Naruto "Congratulations then, Uzumaki Naruto. You are now a genin of Konohagakure no Sato" he said, handing over a hitai-ate to her.

She accepted the hitai-ate and bowed as she said with the same calculating voice "Thank you very much. You won't be disappointed by your decision." She turned around and walked out of the room. She quickly flashed her hitai-ate at Kiba, who gave her the thumbs-up, and Hinata, who seemed like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She didn't pay attention to any of the others, as she wondered where she should put her new hitai-ate. She tried the most common place, the forehead, but it didn't seem to fit her there. She gave it some thought, and ended up tying it around her right arm, at the end of her sleeve. She smiled proudly at her accomplishment. Many of the other students went wide-eyed, as the Ice Princess showed her feelings in public for the first time.

She didn't have too long for her two friends coming smiling out of the building, both displaying their hitai-ate proudly. Well, Hinata displayed it.

She smiled at them "How did it go then?"

"I rocked" Kiba half yelled while pumping his fist into the air, Akamaru barking with him, which was drawing a few looks from some parents

Hinata smiled at Kiba's antics "I did well enough". Naruto nodded at their answers.

Kiba looked at her curiously "So, how did yours go? Did the instructors giving you any trouble?"

The Uzumaki heir shrugged "Iruka didn't, of course, but Mizuki, and the third examiner, were jumping at the prospect to fail me when I told them I couldn't do the bunshin no jutsu". She cracked a slight smile "you should've seen their faces when I showed them the Kage bunshin no jutsu." Kiba couldn't hold his laughter in, when he imagined the instructors speechless. Even Hinata smiled; she hated how some of the instructors treated her friend. Kiba stopped laughing when he was interrupted by a large growl – from his stomach.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "hungry, are we? Well, what do you say to a round of Ichiraku ramen?"

Kiba rubbed the back of his head embarrassed "Yeah, I could go for that. What about you, Akamaru, Hinata?"

Akamaru barked exited, and Hinata nodded in agreement. With that, the three newly graduated genin walked through Konoha, displaying their hitai-ate to everyone.

* * *

**Authors Note:** And here is the redone fist chapter of 'The Red Tempest of Konoha'. As I also said in the first go, this story has second priority to 'Shoton of Konoha', but that doesn't mean that I won't be writing and updating this story. It will be good with some diversity. For how Naruto looks; she wears at the moment the same clothes, or kind of clothes, as Kushina did when she were a teenager. As for her hair; look at my profile picture, and imagine it red.

Now, I know that much of this chapter is flashback. What I was trying to do is giving some backstory, without having to write a story that starts with her tenth birthday, and then do major timeskips.

For a last note; For those who read 'Shoton of Konoha', the poll about who _you_ think Naruto should be paired up with is up.

Until next time

**The Third Shinobi World War** (_Daisanji Ninkai Taisen_) has been rarely shown in the series outside the Kakashi Gaiden. Because of a decline in national power, the reign of the Five Great Countries was crumbling. Along their borders, skirmishes with smaller nations broke out all the time. The prolonged war gradually spread its fires far and wide, until at last it developed into the Third Shinobi World War. This war turned into an unprecedented war of attrition, tormenting all nations with a shortage of war potential. Not even excepting a great power like Konoha, very young children were thrown unto the battlefield, losing their short lives.

Konohagakure and Iwagakure fought across Kusagakure after the latter had infiltrated it in order to lay siege to the border of the Land of Fire. It was not until the destruction of the Kannabi Bridge that the war began turning in Konoha's favor. Sunagakure also participated in the war, as it was during this war that Sasori earned fame as Sasori of the Red Sand (_Akasuna no Sasori_), due to his ingenious puppets dying the sand red with his enemies' blood.

**Kyuubi no Yoko – The Nine-tailed demon fox:** is a tailed beast currently sealed within Naruto Uzumaki of Konohagakure. The fox was first sealed into Mito Uzumaki after the battle at the Valley of the End, then to Kushina Uzumaki long before its attack on the village.

**Jinchuuriki** - **Literally meaning "Power of Human Sacrifice":** Jinchuuriki are humans that have bijuu sealed within them. They exhibit extraordinary powers, and in some cases are more powerful than their tailed beasts, because they have the intelligence to use the beasts' powers effectively.

The jinchuuriki are typically lonely people, viewed by those around them as the tailed beasts that had been sealed within them, leading to prejudice and being hated and feared. According to Akatsuki, the first two jinchuuriki they captured loathed humanity, and their villages were in fact glad to be rid of them. However, some jinchuuriki refuse to waver, even though they have been shunned, and they eventually earned respect. Such examples are Naruto, Killer B, and Gaara.

**Kage Bushin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Technique:** Similar to the _Bushin no Jutsu_, this technique creates clones of the user. However, these clones are actual copies, not illusions. The user's chakra is evenly distributed among every clone, giving each clone an equal fraction of the user's overall power. The clones are capable of performing techniques on their own and can even bleed, but will usually disperse after one or two solid blows. They can also disperse on their own. The clones will be created in roughly the same condition as the original. When they disperse, all the knowledge they have gained return to the creator.

**Bushin no Jutsu – Clone Technique:** A ninjutsu that creates an intangible copy of one's own body, without any substance. Since the clone itself doesn't have the ability to attack, and thus can only be used to confuse the enemy, it is mainly used in combination with other ninjutsu. It's a basic technique, but depending on one's ingenuity, it can be used effectively. The clones will dissipate when they come into contact with something.

**Kawarimi no jutsu – Body Replacement Technique:** With this technique, one replaces their own body with a block of wood or some other object, the moment an attack lands. This creates an optical illusion, making the enemy think the attack was successful. From this, the user can use the lapse in the enemy's attention to attack or flee from the battlefield. Explosive tags can be attached to the replacement for an added surprise. It's a basic ninjutsu even taught at the Academy, but it's a useful art that can be applied in variety of situations.

**Shunshin no jutsu – Body Flicker Technique:** The Shunshin no jutsu is a high-speed movement technique, allowing a ninja to move short to long distances at an almost untraceable speed. To an observer, it appears as if the user has teleported. A puff of smoke is occasionally used to disguise the user's movements. It is accomplished by using chakra to temporarily vitalize the body and move at extreme speeds. The amount of chakra required depends on the overall distance and elevation between the user and the intended destination

**Ninken – Ninja Hounds/Ninja Dogs:** Ninken are essentially dogs that have heightened senses and abilities and as such are able to work with ninja. Although the dogs belonging to the members of the Inuzuka clan are ninken, the phrase is usually used in reference to the pack of eight ninken summoned by Kakashi Hatake. Kakashi's ninken have shown the ability to use human language, walking on water, capacity of developing combat strategies and investigative sense as well. They are supposed to be quite dangerous in combat, as Kakashi notes that they can tear their opponents apart on his command.

**Hinagiku - Daisy**

**Kekkei Genkai – Bloodline Limit (Literally meaning "a technique limited to inheritance by blood"):** are abilities passed down genetically in specific clans. It's possible for a ninja to have more than one of these abilities. Kekkei genkai abilities that work via the user's eye are called dojutsu. Other kekkei genkai include mixing one type of elemental chakra with another, creating a new one unique to the users, which is usually impossible for normal ninja.

**Dojutsu – Eye Techniques:** are kekkei genkai that utilize the eyes, granting the wielder ocular abilities. Being a by-product of specific kekkei genkai, dojutsu are not classified as one of the major jutsu types. They do not require the use of hand seals and in some cases facilitate in the use of or defense against genjutsu, taijutsu and ninjutsu and then defeat their opponent. All known dojutsu also provide the user with some unique abilities, such as an extended field of vision or predictive capabilities. The use of dojutsu often-time consumes a great deal of chakra.

**The** **Byakugan - Literally meaning "White Eye" or "All Seeing White Eye":** Those who inherit the blood of this clan have almost featureless white eyes. When the Byakugan is activated, the user's pupils become more distinct, and the veins near their temples bulge. It also appears that unlike the other two great dojutsu, all members of the clan possess and can use the kekkei genkai from birth, as opposed to needing to awaken or not inheriting it at all.


	2. Her Friends

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Important Change:** I changed what Naruto is wearing in chapter one. She is now wearing what Kushina did when she was a teenager (go to narutopedia to get a good picture of it). You will know why in this chapter.

**CluelessNessSS:** Yeah, I posted in again. I took it down the first time, because I thought it was way too rushed, and missed a lot of background story. Also, I thought it would be nice if Naruto just had one or two friends, instead of being all alone. And yes, she beats up boys like her kaa-san!

Glad you like the friendship between Kiba and Naruto. It was a little challenge to figure out how it would start. As in this story Naruto is reserved and calm, whereas Kiba is a lot more like Naruto is in canon. But I think I did a pretty good job on starting that friendship.

**Pyr00tje****:**Yeah, I have added a lot. Almost half of the chapter is something new I have added. I took it down in the first place, because I thought it was a bit rushed, and you didnt get a lot of background story. Now you do. Also, I thought it would be nice if Naruto just had one or two good friends, instead of being all alone.

And I do realize that this probably isn't going to get as many, or should I say as fast, reviews as Shoton of Konoha. Shoton of Konoha is a one of a kind story. So far, it's the only long( meaning over 10k words) story with Naruto having Shoton I have seen. Also, not as many read fem!naru stories I think. While the reviews are nice, it's not the only thing that drives me. I too want to see how the stories evolve and so on. It's true that I have a plan, and an idea, of whats going to happen, but it's another thing to read/write it in detail

**Samsung223****:** You are so right :)

**Chapter 2:** Her Friends

* * *

_She didn't have too long for her two friends coming smiling out of the building, both displaying their hitai-ate proudly. Well, Hinata displayed it. _

_She smiled at them "How did it go then?"_

"_I rocked" Kiba half yelled while pumping his fist into the air, Akamaru barking with him, which was drawing a few looks from some parents_

_Hinata smiled at Kiba's antics "I did well enough". Naruto nodded at their answers. _

_Kiba looked at her curiously "So, how did yours go? Did the instructors giving you any trouble?"_

_The Uzumaki heir shrugged "Iruka didn't, of course, but Mizuki, and the third examiner, were jumping at the prospect to fail me when I told them I couldn't do the bunshin no jutsu". She cracked a slight smile "you should've seen their faces when I showed them the Kage bunshin no jutsu." Kiba couldn't hold his laughter in when he imagined the instructors speechless. Even Hinata smiled; she hated how some of the instructors treated her friend. Kiba stopped laughing when he was interrupted by a large growl – from his stomach. _

_Naruto raised an eyebrow, "hungry, are we? Well, what do you say to a round of Ichiraku ramen?"_

_Kiba rubbed the back of his head embarrassed "Yeah, I could go for that. What about you, Akamaru, Hinata?"_

_Akamaru barked exited, and Hinata nodded in agreement. With that, the three newly graduated genin walked through Konoha, displaying their hitai-ate to everyone._

* * *

Naruto brushed the clothes with the kanji for 'Ichiraku Ramen' to the side, and entered the restaurant with her two friends in tow. As soon as she entered, the warm and friendly atmosphere washed right over her, making her feel right at home. She quickly looked around to make sure there wasn't anyone else, and then dropped her public act. Her shoulders dropped, her facial muscles relaxed, and her breathing eased. She saw the old man who owned the place, and his daughter who served as a waitress, and a smile spread across her lips.

"Hello, Teuchi-ojisan and Ayame-neesan" she greeted and sat down on, what has become to be known as, her seat. Kiba and Hinata did the same, although a bit more formal with the names, and sat on the seats beside her. Teuchi had even made a little spot for Akamaru at the stand, where the dog could enjoy its own bowl of ramen.

"Hey there Naruto, Kiba-san, Hinata-san" the old man greeted with a smile from his place at the cooker, immediately starting on the ramen he knew they wanted. The old cook was clothed in usual cooking attire, full with a little white hat. He was another of the persons Naruto held dear in her heart… The man had always been very kind and jovial to her – not like the rest of the village –, and she had rarely seen him without his smile. He and his daughter had been the first people outside of the Hokage's office that she considered family. Anyway… Ayame was a bit more outgoing than Teuchi.

"Naruto-chan! So, how did it go? Did you guys pass?" she said as she leaned over the stand to hug the girl she had grown to love as a little sister. Ayame had long brown hair, eyes of almost the same color, and fair skin. She was also wearing her working attire, which consisted of a white rove with sleeves folded, some kind of dark blue apron with ribbon ties at the top, and a bright white bandanna.

When she finished her hug, she realized she had neglected the two other costumers in the seated section. She turned and smiled at them "Sorry. Hello Kiba, Hinata"

Kiba just laughed it off, "No problem Ayame. We don't mind, right Hinata?"

She smiled kindly at the elder girl "Yeah, I don't mind. You were just excited to see Naruto"

The brunette turned back to face the Uzumaki heiress, waiting on her answer, "Well, did you guys pass"

Naruto turned her arm, proudly displaying her hitai-ate. Kiba tapped his forehead, and Hinata showed hers that was tired around her neck. The redhead smiled almost daringly at the waitress

"Of course we did. Were there ever any doubt." Ayame did a sound, which sounded remarkably similar to the sound Hinata did sometimes, and jumped over for another hug.

"I'm so happy for you guys. Of course there was no doubt, but I was worried that some of those _academy instructors_ would try to sabotage you. Anyway, congratulations you guys!" The three newly-made genin accepted the praise just as Teuchi came over with the first set of bowls

"I think this is worth celebrating. First round is on the house" he said smiling "enjoy"

"Thanks Teuchi-san" both Kiba and Hinata said

"Thanks a bunch ojisan!" Naruto said as she began digging slowly in.

Kiba couldn't help but sneak a glance over at her. This was the one place where you would really get to see what Uzumaki Naruto was like. Her beautiful lips were bit around the two chopsticks in her hand, while her expression was so peaceful, so serene… She was so at ease with herself. She looked so genuinely happy, only a few things being able to make her feel that way, as far as Kiba knew. The red beauties' eyes were closed and she savored every slurp of ramen, not even splashing the broth onto the counter or her face, which Kiba himself was having difficulty not doing. He smiled to himself and began on his own ramen.

- An hour later -

"-and then he sneezed all over my mom! You should've seen how pissed she was: She sent him to the hospital for two months, and he is _still_ cleaning the dog kennels at the clan compound!" Kiba laughed the last part out, causing everyone else to laugh with him at the story.

"And how long time since it happened?" Naruto asked with a smile

"_Eight_ months, and she still haven't forgiven him, if you believe it" Kiba answered while petting, a now sleeping Akamaru curled up in his lap.

"Remind me never to get on the bad side of Tsume-sama" it came from an amused Hinata.

Kiba smiled at the Hyuuga heiress, "You know that you don't have to call her that. Not many of my clan really cares that much for formality"

Hinata shrugged, "maybe not, but she has earned it as clan-head. While _I_ don't put formality in that high regard, it's something my clan is very strict about"

Kiba didn't bother to retort; this was something he had tried to get Hinata to drop for a _very_ long time. He knew this was something Hinata wouldn't budge on like this. Their comfy atmosphere drastically changed at a newcomer.

"Uzumaki Naruto?" a male voice sounded from behind them, causing them all to tense up. Naruto went right back to her public act, her shoulders back and all. She turned around on the chair with her stoic face, to see a crow-masked male ANBU standing just inside the restaurant.

She raised an eyebrow, "I am Uzumaki Naruto. Speak your business, ANBU-san"

The ANBU, true to his training, didn't react on the ordering tone in Naruto's voice, but simply replied his message, "Hokage-sama would like to see you in his office in fifteen minutes. He said it was about your graduation." And with that he disappeared. Naruto sighed.

"I guess that's all for this time ojisan, neesan" she said while putting the money she owed on the counter. She turned towards her friends, "and I'll see you guys in a week."

"Bye Naruto-chan, please come again soon" Ayame said while doing the dishes.

"Yeah, please do. You know you're our favorite customer" said a smiling Teuchi

She smiled at them, "you know I will"

Kiba frowned, "are you going somewhere, since we first will see you next week?"

Naruto shook her head, "no, but I am going to train. I have a new move that I almost got down, but it's just out of my grasp. I would like to get it down before we get our team assignments." Kiba felt a bit disheartened to know that he wouldn't see Naruto for another week, but understood her reasons. He and Akamaru were also going to learn a new clan jutsu this week, and he knew for a fact that Hinata also would be training with her clan. Of course Naruto wouldn't be the only one not training of the three of them.

"I guess I'll see you in a week then, _Princess_" Kiba said with a feral grin

"Yeah, see you Naruto-chan" Hinata said to the redhead who was now lightly glaring at Kiba.

The whiskered girl bid them goodbye and began making her way to the Hokage through the slightly chill April evening air.

* * *

The sun was hanging low over the horizon by the time all the jounin arrived, mostly due to Hatake Kakashi's chronic tardiness. They were nine potential upcoming sensei in the room, standing in front of the Sandaime Hokage. He was sitting quietly in his chair, puffing on his old pipe, looking over the record cards of the students that had passed the Academy's exam. Of course none of the genin knew that many of them probably would be send back to the academy.

Yuhi Kurenai was one of the jounin chosen to take on a genin team. She, like none of the other people in the room, spoke as the old Hokage was reading, and would wait to till the team delegation would start. She already had a team in mind, and she wouldn't take no for an answer. And then there of course were another matter she needed to discuss with the elder leader…

- Flashback earlier that morning -

_Kurenai stifled a yawn as she crouched in the tree outside the Shinobi Academy. Why was she crouching in a tree, you ask? She had been chosen by the Sandaime Hokage to act as a jounin sensei for one of the new genin teams. It was rather unheard of that a jounin as inexperienced as her – she had only been promoted less than a year ago –was chosen to be a sensei. All the other sensei's had had years of experience, a Hatake Kakashi had even had over a decade - she was basically a newbie to the rank. Which is why she had been hesitant when Sarutobi had asked her to take on a team, but when the Hokage ask, he doesn't necessarily needs to say please… The fact that Sarutobi had done so, made it so much harder to refuse. He had of course finally talked her into it, and she would be lying if she wasn't a little excited._

_Back to why she was crouching in a tree: She wasn't going to go blindly into this. After the Sandaime's request, she had decided to utilize the remaining days to observe the possible genin-to-be. This was unusual, as most jounin-sensei's simply waited for the team assignments to be made, trusting the academy instructors to construct well-balanced teams. _

_Yuhi Kurenai wasn't most jounin._

_She didn't mind that the other upcoming sensei just waited to get their team assigned, but she was a bit more… picky. She wanted to know about the kids, more than just what she could read from their files, so she could put together a team that worked well together. More than that, she was looking for a prodigy – or more precisely a kunoichi prodigy. Since her years in the academy, the quality and quantity of kunoichi, that had graduated the Academy, had had a frightening fall. She wanted to train a serious kunoichi, and not just one that had joined because it attracted boys._

_That of course didn't mean that she would solely concentrate on the girl of the team; that would simply be rude, and make her a bad sensei. Could you just see a sensei focusing on one student more than the other two, on the sole reason that he or she had something the other two hadn't? In her opinion, anyone who favour like that, should immediately be stripped from their title of sensei._

_Anyway, that was her reason for sitting in a tree. For now, only the Academy teachers, alongside a few students, had arrived. From what she had heard from their conversation, this year's batch of shinobi had an unusual high number of gifted individuals. They theorized that it was because many of them were clan heirs to prominent clans in the village. She had smiled when she heard it; the chanced of putting a successful team together had just increased exponentially. That train of thoughts was stopped when she heard another set of footsteps approaching the Academy gates._

_She recognized the girl right away, solely by the color of her hair. The long straight red hair of Uzumaki Naruto was truly one of a kind; no one else in Konoha had anything that resembled it. That wasn't what caught Kurenai's eye; it was the way she held herself, the way she walked, the way her posture was. It just screamed self-confidence and skill. More than that, she seemed to be on guard at all times, like she could be attacked any moment. She shouldn't have to be on guard in her own home village like that; this should be a safe haven for all Konoha shinobi. That she wasn't a shinobi yet, just made it that more troubling. To be on guard like that at such a young age, meant that she must've trained to be like that every day of her short life, which was probably true because of her… condition._

_Yes, Kurenai knew who she was, and what she held. But she wasn't as narrow-minded as some of the shinobi and civilians. She knew the girl was just containing the beast, and she was herself. Although the girl had had a sad life, Kurenai couldn't help but smile at the obvious skill she had – it wasn't just something you could train yourself to, even with the threat of getting mucked hanging over you. Kurenai smiled sadly _'She really has inherited her mother's looks, and her father's skills. I can't believe how few have figured out who you really are… Hate really does make people blind'_._

_Kurenai was a genin fresh out of the academy when the Kyuubi attacked Konoha. She and most of her friends were restricted from the battlefield, being held back far from the worst of the fighting, which was probably the only reason any of them had survived that night. She didn't have any personal against the child the Yondaime had sealed the demon fox into. It wasn't like the girl had asked for it._

_She watched as the girl stopped in front of the great gates. For just a split second she dropped her mask, calming her nerves, before walking towards the entrance. But it was long enough for Kurenai to see the girl underneath the act, the girl who carried the greatest burden, but, as far as Kurenai knew, didn't blame anyone for it._

_The whiskered girl hadn't taken more than a few steps before she took out a kunai, and threw it straight at Kurenai. The jounin quickly performed a Shunshin no Jutsu, reappearing on the roof of the academy. Now she was really impressed with the girl. Given, she hadn't used her full skill to conceal herself – she didn't think it was necessary with genin – but she had been using at least mid- to top-chunin level skills. The red-eyed jounin frowned; that the girl had detected her, again told of the kind of life the girl most have had. But it was maybe just because of that life, that she would make a good student…_

_Kurenai watched the Uzumaki heir as she held the defensive pose for a few seconds, before finally letting her guard down. She went into the building and out of sight._

_The red-eyed jounin made a split-second decision to follow the girl. She could, after all, just observe the rest of the class during the exams. She went through some hand-seals and casted a concealing genjutsu over herself. She walked down the building and climbed into the graduating class' classroom. The red-haired beauty was sitting in the back of the room, not far from where Kurenai had climbed in. And she wasn't sitting alone._

_It was also a Hyuuga, and Kurenai was pleased when she a second later recognized the girl as Hinata, whom she had escorted to the academy years ago. She'd done a tour at the Academy while recovering from her wounds and preparing for the jounin exam._

_She'd been dispatched to the Hyuuga compound in response to a request from the clan head, Hyuuga Hiashi. The man coldly informed her that his daughter was hopelessly weak and unable to master more than the basics of the Hyuuga gentle fist taijutsu style. It was hoped that she'd be of some use to the village as a shinobi if she was too weak to serve the family directly. The fact that he told her this in front of the silent girl sorely tested Kurenai's patience. But the girl didn't seem to have it half bad now, with her sitting quietly beside the sapphire-eyed girl. It brought a smile to the rookie-jounin's face._

_After that, many of the students began to show up. As she had heard, there were many children from prominent shinobi families, all of them heirs to their clans nonetheless. Just like their parents, a Nara, a Yamanaka, and an Akimichi were all set to graduate together. If they all passed, there was little doubt they'd be placed on a team together. People liked to stick with what worked. It was just too bad for the boys that the Yamanaka girl looked to be an incredible fangirl..._

_Then there was an Aburame kid who was so quiet the other tended to lose track and forget about him. If he was any good with his bugs he'd be a resource for any team. She'd worked on occasion with a man who could be this boy's father. His kikaichu always warned them of approaching enemies, giving them plenty of time to change position. He would be invaluable on a recon team._

_She could also see potential in the civilian-born Haruno girl. She had a good head upon her shoulders, but, sadly, it was full of what she had come to call 'fangirlisme'. If she could get out of that, she could see her become a great kunoichi in the future. But as she was currently one of the chairwomen of the Uchiha fanclub, Kurenai didn't see it happen soon._

_And, of course, there were also the last Uchiha. She already knew that none of the instructors would let him fail, but then again, how could he? The raven-haired boy had gotten a good deal of ass-kissing from the council, giving him private tutors, unlike a certain tanned Uzumaki. She already knew who would be the boy's sensei; Hatake Kakashi. He was the last in the village who could teach the Uchiha heir how to use his clan's kekkei genkai. Not that she wanted to teach him anyway; from what she could see, he had a ten foot pole sticking up his ass._

_It wasn't long after that she saw the newly made Inuzuka heir sneaking around in the classroom with his partner. The old heir, or heiress, Inuzuka Hana, had resigned her titles as heiress, choosing to focus on her skills as a medic-nin veterinarian, to help her whole clan in another way. That had effectively made Kiba the new heir._

_He had a grin smeared across his face, as he went up the stairs to the back of the room, and started making his way towards the Hyuuga and Uzumaki heiress'. Kurenai couldn't help to smile to herself, as she began expecting the boy getting his ass beaten by the Uzumaki girl. Yes, the girls violent rejections had already spread across the whole village, how couldn't it? She had beaten up a classmate in the middle of the main business-road. _

_What she didn't expect was that when the boy had been discovered, he jumped up and embraced the two girls lightly. More than that, the Uzumaki girls face went as red as her hair. Again, she couldn't help but smile at the sight. Even though the jinchuuriki of Konoha was despised by most civilians and many shinobi, she seemed to have gotten some good friends, and even a crush. And while Kurenai knew that crushes could ruin a kunoichi by removing all her focus from training, it didn't seem like it was the case here. The three of them seemed to be close friends… which meant that they probably would have pretty good teamwork, if they were put on the same team._

- Flashback End -

That hadn't been the only thing she had discovered. During the writing exam, one of the instructors, Mizuki, had tried casting a genjutsu on the red-haired girl. Of course Kurenai had casted a counter right away, causing her to release a slight chakra spike. Again, the girl had picked up on it right away, and was looking around the classroom to find the source. Kurenai had been so furious at the so-called instructor, that she nearly had blown her cover. But she had stopped herself, reasoning that it was better to report it to the Hokage – which she had done as soon as she had been out of the academy. Most fortunate, there hadn't been further incident, though she was half sure he had planned on trying it in the ninjutsu test. It was only because the girl had used such a high-ranking jutsu – it had also surprised Kurenai -, that he hadn't been able to do it. Her attention was brought back when the Sandaime finally talked

"Okay then. First, do any of you have any wishes?" Hiruzen said, while looking out on them over his desk, focusing much on Kurenai. She sighed mentally; of course he knew what she had been up to today. He wasn't the Hokage for nothing. Kakashi lazily stepped forward with his nose down in one of his orange books. Kurenai's eyebrow twitched; she really hated how he would read those books in public. But it wasn't weird that strong shinobi had some sort of thing going on… It seemed to her that the more skilled the ninja, the more eccentric their personal habits became. It also made her wonder if her own ambitions to improve her skills would become ultimately self-destructive. The copy-cat ninja was feared throughout the ninja world, but he was also squirrelly as hell with his chronic tardiness and perverted reading material.

"I would like to have Uchiha Sasuke on my team" he volunteered. It wasn't a surprise that he would oversee the training of the Uchiha survivor. "Also, I would like to have Uzumaki Naruto on my team-"

"Your pardon Hokage-sama," Kurenai broke in and stepped forward, "but I would like to take on Uzumaki Naruto as my charge". Murmurs ran through the people present: None of them had thought that anyone would be willing to take the demon-bitch on their team of their own free will. And here were two jounin both _volunteering_ to take her. She also saw Asuma and some of the Academy workers quietly shaking their heads.

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow at her. He already knew why Kakashi would want to teach the child, her being his sensei's child and all, but he wondered why Kurenai would. He had an idea of it, but he would like to hear it himself.

"Yuhi Kurenai, are you sure you want to take her? What are your reasons?"

"Uzumaki Naruto has exceptional potential as a kunoichi, and I would be honored to train her. If I remember correctly, Hokage-sama, that was one of the reasons you asked me, wasn't it? And not to disrespect you Kakashi, but you will have your hands full with that Uchiha. You will probably be… _encouraged_ by the council to give him some special time, like many from the Academy have been." She saw him shift uncomfortable, showing that what she had said was true

"Furthermore, I would like to have Hyuuga Hinata and Inuzuka Kiba on my team as well" she continued

Sarutobi cleared his throat, "As I am sure you know, it is most common to place the rookie of the year, with the kunoichi of the year, and the dead-last. It shouldn't come as a surprise to you that Uzumaki Naruto is the rookie of the year, and that also makes her the kunoichi of the year. And more along that line, in Konoha it is most common to place two male shinobi and one kunoichi on a team, not the other way around."

"Is that a no?" she asked with a raised eyebrow

"No, it isn't…" Hiruzen replied thoughtfully.

She sighed, knowing that she had to convince the old leader some more, "The three of them seems to be quiet close friends, and I would imagine that it was the only friends that the girl has. You should be the first to know how hard she has had it. It would be cruel to strip of the few friends she has let in."

By the look on Hiruzen's face, Kurenai knew she was winning him over. Apparently so did Kakashi as he spoke up,

"Well, then who should be put on my team?"

She turned towards the seasoned jounin. "I would suggest Aburame Shino. Shino doesn't really seem to show much emotion, and mostly act on logic – something Sasuke may be able to work with. He also has his kikaichu, a perfect example of the teamwork you set in so high standards. All in all, he is a little drawn back, but friendly enough. He should be able to put up with that Uchiha headache."

Kurenai noticed that everyone in the room was staring at her. She sighed. "When I was selected to take on a genin team, I decided to spend the day observing them interact and getting a handle on their personalities. Am I the only jounin in this room that bothers to think ahead?"

Kakashi was reading his book and Asuma was fiddling with his cigarette. Evidently, she was.

She sighed and laid her face in her hands. "Fine, then. Just take my word for it. The Uchiha kid is a self-centered brat and you're going to have your work cut out for you. It wouldn't be good for Naruto to be on team with him; they wouldn't work well together, and you would probably use the first year on making them even stand each other."

"But, Kurenai-" the silver-haired jounin tried

"No" she simply stated

"Then what about-"

"Not going to happen"

"At least give me-"

"I said no!"

The rest of the room sweatdropped at the two grown-up, jounin none the less, bickered like kinder garden kids. The old Hokage didn't pay any attention to the two. He was more concerned about Naruto's future.

"Hmmm…" Sarutobi grunted. "I would think Naruto would be able to warm him up a bit better. And it is traditional that the highest and lowest-ranked genins be placed on the same team to balance it out…" He paused and mulled over it. "However, as you said, she seems to have made quite good friends with the Inuzuka and Hyuuga heirs… The Inuzuka may even help open her up a bit."

The third Hokage nodded thoughtfully. "You think he will do better on your team?"

"As far as I've seen, Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuuga Hinata is the only people that can get close to her, without her beating them up. Not that many tries…" Kurenai paused for a moment before continuing. "I believe that if your law mandating secrecy regarding the jinchuuriki were to be strictly enforced, all of the academy students would be made orphans."

Yuhi Kurenai was quite sure that, were she to drop a senbon, the clatter when it struck the floor would have been deafening in that silence.

"That is ridiculous!" One of the academy workers snapped. "I have never heard one whisper of the Kyuubi in all the time I have worked here. No parent has told their child of it!"

"No," Kurenai drawled, "they instead tell their children to hate Uzumaki Naruto and shun her for no reason they will admit. You don't hide a secret by drawing attention to it with bright lights and dancing around it doing everything you can get away with that doesn't involve saying the forbidden words. The only reason she isn't worse off is because she has such a strong survival instinct and natural skills! Even today I caught one of your colleagues trying to mess with the girl's written exam!"

That shut the academy instructor right up. He couldn't really deny what she had said, and if one of his colleagues really had tried to mess with a test… then he shouldn't be an instructor – no matter who the instructed was.

Sarutobi sighed and sagged in his chair for a moment. Kurenai was reminded how old he actually was, and how he'd been enjoying his retirement up until his successor was forced to sacrifice his life to seal the Kyuubi. She felt a stab of shame that she'd reminded him of how little some of the villagers deserved his protection.

"Anyway," she continued in a kinder voice, "I think the girl has a tremendous potential, and I would like to be there to help her with it."

"Very well" the Hokage said with a smile on his lips. He was convinced; Naruto probably couldn't get a better sensei than Kurenai, at the moment. "Then, if there is nothing else, you are all dismissed"

* * *

Naruto quietly knocked on the door to the Hokage's office, only entering after the old man had given permission. She was still in her public act; she knew all too well that the office was full with ANBU-agents. She stopped in front of the Sandaime's desk

"Hokage-sama, you wished to speak to me?" she asked in her almost monotone voice

He looked up from his paperwork and sighed, "ANBU, you can leave. I will not be needing your assistance for this." As soon as the words left his mouth, four ANBU appeared in the middle of the office, and disappeared again. Hiruzen motioned to the chair in front of him, Naruto gladly accepting it, and he went on to put up a privacy seal. Finally he sat down smiling at his grand-daughter figure

"I think congratulations' is in order"

She smiled back at him, being able to show her true self with the privacy seal up "Thanks jii-chan."

He began going through his drawers, "I'm really proud of you, graduating at the top of your class like that, and I know Kushina-chan would be too. Ah, there it is!" he took out a long wooden box and put it in front of her. It was beautiful, having long, slim silver strings decorating it.

"What is it?" the Uzumaki heir asked curiously, following one of the strings with her finger

Hiruzen smiled at her, "a gift. It was your mothers… Now that you're a genin, I would think that she would've liked you to have it."

Naruto's eyes widened; she hadn't gotten anything from her mother since that letter, three years ago. She looked at the old wooden box, "this was my mother's?"

The old Hokage nodded. "Yes, and now it's yours. Come on, open it" he said encouraging.

She gently brought the chest closer, afraid that if she careless with it, it would break. She looked one more time at her grandfather-figure, who again nodded to her, and opened the chest. The inside of the chest were lined with a soft red fabric. In the middle of it laid a long, elegant sword. The blade couldn't be more than a meter long, and the shaft was small, only enough for an adult to grab it, and with the same type of silver-string pattern as the case. This was a real shinobi sword. Beside it were the sheath was as long as the blade, and were colored a deep red, except for the slim silver-strings that went down it, making the same pattern as the one that were on the chest. She looked up at the old Hokage, who was still smiling, "was this really my mother's?"

The Sandaime nodded "Yes, it was. She was incredible talented in kenjutsu; she even went as far as developing her own style… Something she wanted you to have. There should be some scrolls in there too"

Naruto looked in the box. Just as Hiruzen had said, in the corner of the box three scrolls were lying. She took one of them, and cracked it open. It was filled with details on how to use a sword, different kenjutsu technique, and, of course, details on the difference stances of her personal style. The name of it was…

"Odoru mizu no megami" she said the words with awe.

Hiruzen smiled at the expression the girl had. He loved these moments; moments she would forget everything else, and just be the girl she was. He could still remember the little tom-boy that would beg him to teach her jutsu. He cleared his throat to get the red-haired beauties attention, she still admiring her new tool.

"And, this is a gift from me" he said while brining out a book, and handed it to his granddaughter-figure. She looked at the title 'Introduction to the arts of Fuinjutsu'. But that wasn't what caught her attention. It was written by none other than Uzumaki Agari, one of the earliest clanhead of the Uzumaki clan. Now that she studied the book closer, it looked very old. The pages having a slight yellow color from exposure, the spine of the book having a few cracks in it, to name a few of the signs.

"As you know", Hiruzen continued, bringing Naruto's attention back at the old man, "your clan was very infamous for their skill in fuinjutsu. Sadly, much of that knowledge was lost when Uzu no Kuni, and Uzushiogakure along with it, fell… much of the knowledge, but not all. As you know, the first Hokage had a wife, Uzumaki Mito, and she had more than a few things from Uzu. What you're holding in your hands was the book that the members of the Uzumaki clan were presented with, when they became genin, a tradition older than the village itself…" He paused to let Naruto let the information he had told sink in.

"When Mito moved to Konoha, she took the books she had been given with her. I think it's only fair that you're are the one to receive the books that by all right belongs to you. There are more than only that one, but they're way more advanced. I will give them to you as you progress."

Again, Naruto was left to look at her gift in awe. This book was very old, maybe even as old as the village itself. She opened the book and found it to be very sturdy, despite its old age. On almost all pages an elegant handwriting flowed beside the original text. It was everything from corrections, probably proved through further study, to questions and ideas. She wanted to keep reading, but it wasn't the time to do it here. She closed the book and laid it down in the wooden box, alongside the sword and the scrolls.

The sapphire-eyed Uzumaki got up from her seat and hurried around the table, and jumped in for a hug with the Hokage, "Thank you jii-chan"

Hiruzen hugged her back, "You're welcome my girl." They stayed like that for another minute or so, before Naruto pulled back, and went back to admire her new tool. Hiruzen watched with a smile as she traced the blade with her finger, taking in every detail it had. But after a glance out the window, seeing how late it was, he broke the silence

"I think it's time for you to go home, Naruto-chan. You have to get up early to get your Shinobi Registration Picture taken, remember?"

She had completely forgotten, "Oh yeah… Thanks again jii-chan." She stood like that for a few seconds, and Hiruzen could see she was arguing with herself about something.

"What is it?"

She bit her lower lib, "it's just… do you think that my tou-san would be proud too?"

He bit his lip. He knew how much she wanted to know who her father was, but he had explained to her why she couldn't know yet. He sighed and smiled, "I know he would"

"Thanks" she smiled at him. She took a deep breath, and as she walked back out the door, she was back in her act.

Hiruzen stared at the closed door for a few seconds. He sighed and went back to the bane of all kages – paperwork. How Minato managed to do his so fast was still a mystery to him. He looked up at the portraits of the previous Hokage; from the Shodai Hokage, Senju Hashirama, on the left, over the Nidaime, Senju Tobirama, over the picture of himself, and finally settling on the strongest of them all, the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato. He smiled at the portrait of the blond Hokage, '_Minato, you really would be proud of your little girl. She really is wondrous… I just hope that the village one day will come to see her as she really is…'_

He smiled sadly, '_She really wants to know who you are… she wants to know who her father is. I will tell her soon, but I'm afraid of how she will react. She sees you as a hero, even after she was told of the kyuubi… Where she gets that forgiveness from I don't know. But if I were to guess, I would say it's from you… You know, she wants to become Hokage. She wants to protect the whole village, even the people who have treated her like dirt. And at the pace she is progressing at, I can really see it happen.'_

The old Hokage sighed once again, and resumed his work in the moonlight filled office.

- With Naruto -

The Uzumaki heir walked through the quiet streets in the quiet march night, the mild wind playing softly with her hair. She held the decorated wooden box in her arms, a soft smile on her lips. She still had her façade up, make no mistake of that, but it wasn't as prominent as usual. One of the reasons was that it was late, so not many were out on the streets. But the most prominent reason was the gift she had just gotten… the gift from her mother. It made her feel good thinking about it; she felt like that, even if her mother had long passed away, leaving her even if she didn't want to, she still watched over her.

Soon enough she made it to her apartment complex. It was lying in a half-abandoned part of the village, long away from the prominent clans and business'. This was the place she had been given to live, where no one really minded, or rather bothered to do anything about it, that she lived there. Of course the Hokage could've gotten her a better place, but she convinced him that she was ok with this place. After all, after living a year in the streets, after being abused in an orphanage, anything would seem like Heaven.

She walked up the stairs, and was about to open her door – she didn't bother with a lock: she didn't have anything that valuable laying around, and if someone did decide to come by, it wouldn't help – when her foot hit something. She looked down to see a crudely packed brown package, with a note on top of it. She took it up

_Sorry, I forgot to bring this today._

_It's a graduation gift for you. I know you don't really have any family other than Hokage-sama, so… I hope you like it. Whatever._

_Kiba_

She smiled: It was just like Kiba… forgetful and thoughtful as always. She took up the package by its strings, and opened the door with her hip, her hand now full with both the package and the box. She closed it after her with a kick of her right foot, maybe a bit harder than intended. She winced at the prospect of having to replace the door – again. She only received enough money from the Hokage to pay the few bills she got, and shop for grocery. She stopped in her tracks. She wouldn't get paid anymore – she would earn money from doing missions. More money than she had gotten before… she wouldn't have to worry about replacing stuff anymore! This day had just gotten better and better, probably the best in her life.

She went to her combined bed- and living-room and put the wooden box on her nightstand. She sat on her bed and began undoing the strings and paper of Kiba's package. It was a long white box of high quality, like the ones clothing stores packed clothes in. She frowned: what could the dog-boy have gotten her? She opened the box and gasped at the outfit

"He… he remembered?" she whispered to herself in wonder

Weeks ago Hinata, Kiba and herself had gone down a street, when they had passed a Shinobi Attire Clothing Store. Normally Naruto wouldn't even stop to look, what with the owners doubling or tripling the prices as soon as they saw her, but right there on display was one of the most awesome set of clothes she had seen. It had been made by some newly discovered designer in Takigakure. The only reason that they had the stuff in Konoha, was because of the alliance between the two villages, else they wouldn't think of trading anything related to shinobi. The outfit consisted of a short sleeveless white midriff shirt with a fishnet armor to go underneath, long white armlets, and a fishnet shorts with a short white apron skirt to go over it. For shoes, there were some modified shinobi sandals, which were more open than normal, and didn't go up over her ankle.

She thinks she had said something at the likes of 'if I could just get that…', but had continued. She hadn't even seen that Kiba, or Hinata for that matter, had seen her done that.

And now, here in front of her, laid the same outfit, with a few differences: On the left armlet and on the back of her midriff was a swirling red symbol sown. It was the Konoha symbol for friendship, but it meant even more to her… it was the symbol of her late clan… the Uzumaki clan.

_Now_ this day couldn't get any better. She laid her new clothes over a chair, took of her old clothes, and got into bed with a smile.

* * *

- Next morning -

Naruto squinted at the sunlight that came through a crack in the curtains, and was just lucky enough to hit her right in the eyes. She rolled over and tried to get back to sleep, but it was a little too late for that. She sat up in the bed and glared at the crack in the curtains, and thought more than a little irritated '_how can something that's almost 150 million kilometers away, have such perfect aim?'_

It was soon forgotten, however, as she remembered the day before. She jumped out of the bed and got into the bathroom to get ready for the day. After she had done her business in there, she went straight to her new clothes, and couldn't get it on fast enough. She also fastened her mother's sword – no, her sword – across her back, her being able to draw it over her right shoulder. She also put on kunai and shuriken holder on her right thigh, alongside a pouch on her left buttocks. She looked herself over in her full-body mirror, and smiled. Now she really looked like a shinobi.

She grabbed the book on fuinjutsu, the scroll on the jutsu she was learning, and the scrolls about kenjutsu and the Odoru mizu no megami, and hurried out the door, towards the Hokage-tower to get her Shinobi Registration Photo taken.

* * *

**Authors Note:** And the second chapter is done :) Review and tell me what you think, especially about Kiba and Naruto. I'm trying to establish that they already have feelings for each other, but are not ready to admit it and all that.

If you have read 'Team 8', you will probably notice some similarities in the scene with all the jounin and Hiruzen. I think I have spun it in my own way. There are some big differences in my opinion, one of them being Kakashi's and Kurenai's( or should I say Kurenai's?) converesation. Tell me what you think about it. Is it too similar? If yes, then what? I will try to change it if I can see your point :)

Now, I really wanted to come in about Konohamaru and all that in this chapter, but if I had done that, the chapter would have gotten too long. I'm trying to keep the chapters( and I mean the story, not authors note and review answers) between 7,5k and 8k. Some may be more, if there are large fights in and so on, and some may be less, if they are filler chapters… So Konohamaru will have to wait till next chapter. Next chapter the team will also be officially assigned, and we will see what test Kurenai have for her new team.

As for how she looks now; her outfit is almost the same as Fuu of Takigakure, the jinchuuriki of the seven-tails. The few differences are: No red tube on the back, the Uzumaki swirls, the kunai/shuriken holders, and the pouch.

Until next time.

**Kikaichu - Literally meaning "Parasitic Destruction Insects":** are a species of small, beetle-like insects that are bred and utilized exclusively by the Aburame clan, forming the basis for all of their unique techniques.

**Sharingan**** - Literally meaning "Copy Wheel Eye" or "Mirror Wheel Eye":** The Sharingan is a dojutsu kekkei genkai, which appears in some members of the Uchiha clan. The Sharingan is also called "_Heaven's Eye_" because of the many abilities it grants the user.

The Sharingan's abilities consist of two parts: the "Eye of Insight" (_Dosatsugan_) and the "Eye of Hypnotism" (_Saimingan_). The first of the Sharingan's powers is being able to see the flow of chakra. The Sharingan itself gives color to chakra, allowing the wielder to differentiate them. They are also able to tell if a person is under a genjutsu because the person's chakra flow would be irregular. The Sharingan's second-most prominent ability grants the user an incredible clarity of perception, allowing them to easily recognize genjutsu and different forms of chakra, though not to the same extent as the Byakugan. This also allows the user to pick up on subtle details, enabling them to read lip movements or mimic something like pencil movements. As the Sharingan evolves, gaining more tomoe seals, this ability extends to being able to track fast-moving objects before finally giving some amount of predictive capabilities to the user, allowing them to see the image of an attacker's next move from the slightest muscle tension in their body and counterattack or dodge without any wasted movement. However, even though the user may be able to see an attack or know it is coming, their body may not always have time to react.

The Sharingan's third and most well-known ability is that it grants the user the ability to memorize almost any technique that he or she witnesses, apart from other kekkei genkai techniques. The user can memorize ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu with near perfect accuracy, allowing the user to use the techniques as their own, or even modify them to create their own new techniques. In order to reproduce a copied technique, however, one must have the necessary skill or ability to perform them. In addition to physical skill and kekkei genkai techniques, the Sharingan cannot reproduce techniques dependent on other factors, such as summons that the user has not signed a contract with.

**Kenjutsu - Literally meaning "Sword Technique":** Kenjutsu pertains to techniques that entail the use of swords, whether the users are shinobi or samurai. Kenjutsu can be used in combination with taijutsu, ninjutsu, chakra flow and even genjutsu in order to achieve more devastating techniques.

**Odoru mizu no megami – The Dancing Water-Goddess**


	3. Her Sensei

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**CluelessNessSS****:** Thank you for another review :) I'm glad that you liked the conversation, or the lack of one, between Kakashi and Kurenai. I had a lot of fun writing that. And I agree on the subject of Kakashi: he sucks as a teacher, but he means well. I don't know if you, or anyone else for that matter, noticed the reference to it in the last chapter.

Asuma doesn't have anything against the girl, but I can see why you could have misinterpreted it. The reason why Asuma shook his head was that Kurenai, a rookie jounin, were going up against Kakashi, a fairly seasoned jounin. Asuma doesn't have anything against the girl, but on the other hand, he doesn't 'like' her either. He hasn't had a chance of getting to know her: He is neutral against her.

I also look forward to see the team dynamic of my version. Sure, I have a plan for it, but it's another thing to actually write it down and see it. I'm also glad that you don't think that my story doesn't resemble the original too much. I have been inspired by the story, but have tried hard to put my own spin on things.

You will just have to read on to see what Kurenai will teach. She is a genjutsu mistress, and therefore must have incredible chakra control… but I won't say anymore ;)

**Roboguy45****:** Thank you very much. I used some time to figure out the name of the style ^^

**Bleachnarutorocks13****:** Well, I'm sorry that you feel that way. I had, and have never had, any intention of stealing anything from anyone. As I have written multiple times, including in the story description and in last chapters Authors Note, this story is inspired by 'Team 8', but there is many changes: Naruto is a girl, Team 8 consists of fem!Naruto, Hinata and Kiba, Kurenai doesn't have a sad past.

It is true that there are some similar descriptions in, for example, the scene where Kurenai spies the potential genin, but I would say that there are more differences. To give an example, there is the length of the scene; mine is close to 2k words, whereas the 'Team 8' scene is barely 1k: I go in more detail, that's my writing style. Of course there is also similarities, but to be fair, it's hard to call a dog anything but what it is; a dog.

**DemonicFox20****:** Thanks :) I have always thought, or for a while anyway, that fem!naru and Kiba would be a perfect pair. But I haven't been able to find any fics with such a pairing… So I decided to write one myself :)

**Chapter 3:** Her Sensei

* * *

_- Next morning -_

_Naruto squinted at the sunlight that came through a crack in the curtains, and was just lucky enough to hit her right in the eyes. She rolled over and tried to get back to sleep, but it was a little too late for that. She sat up in the bed and glared at the crack in the curtains, and thought more than a little irritated _'how can something that's almost 150 million kilometers away, have such perfect aim?'

_It was soon forgotten, however, as she remembered the day before. She jumped out of the bed and got into the bathroom to get ready for the day. After she had done her business in there, she went straight to her new clothes, and couldn't get it on fast enough. She also fastened her mother's sword – no, her sword – across her back, her being able to draw it over her right shoulder. She also put on kunai and shuriken holder on her right thigh, alongside a pouch on her left buttocks. She looked herself over in her full-body mirror, and smiled. Now she really looked like a shinobi._

_She grabbed the book on fuinjutsu, the scroll on the jutsu she was learning, and the scrolls about kenjutsu and the Odoru mizu no megami, and hurried out the door, towards the Hokage-tower and her photo shoot._

* * *

Naruto sat patiently across from the Old Sandaime Hokage, as she awaited his judgment on her photo. She had already been up to the photo-shooter, and had to wait close to an hour because of 'technical difficulties', but she knew it was because it was _her_ that needed the picture. She counted at least four people coming and going while she waited… Anyway, she had her picture taken, and now she was sitting here. It was a fairly average picture; it showed her sitting on the chair with her mask on. Nothing more and nothing less. She couldn't see anything wrong with it, but she wasn't the one that had to be satisfied.

"I don't see anything wrong with the picture or the registration. This is acceptable." It came from the old man. He organized some files, and then looked at her, "Now, Naruto-chan, you know that you have to meet up in your class for team assignment in six days, right?"

She nodded affirmative, "hai"

Hiruzen smiled at her, "then you are dismissed"

She rose from her seat and bowed to the Hokage, and walked towards the door. She stopped and raised an eyebrow when one of the presences out on the hallway suddenly began running towards the door. She looked calmly over at her grandfather-figure, who only sighed. Not a second later the door was ripped open

"Jiji, fight me! The title of Godaime Hokage belongs to me, Konohamaru!" a little boy screamed as he ran into the room. Naruto estimated that he couldn't be much more than eight or nine years old. He probably was in the first year in the Academy she guessed, with him holding a kunai wrong and all that. The boy, Konohamaru, had short spiky brown hair and black eyes. He wore a yellow shirt with the Konoha symbol in red, grey shorts, and a long blue scarf, which just begged to be tripped over. Naruto also noticed his most particular choice of headwear: a grey helmet that had an orange frowning face on the right side, a red circle on the left side, and it had a hole at the top where his hair stuck out of.

As Naruto had thought, Konohamaru hadn't taken more than a few steps into the room before he tripped… right into the red-haired beauties asset.

"Ah… these smell good…" Konohamaru moaned as he began rubbing his head further into the Uzumaki heir's breasts. He stopped when he felt the most intense killer intent he had ever felt, making even the experienced Hokage, who had participated in two of the three great Shinobi World Wars, shiver.

Two _very_ strong hands grabbed his collar and threw him towards the concrete wall, where he made quite a dent.

"What the HELL do you think you're doing!" Naruto's furious female voice sounded. Hiruzen sighed and closed his eyes, '_not even Kami can save you now, Konohamaru.'_

She walked over to the dazed boy and grabbed him again, "I asked you a question! What did you think you were doing!"

"Hey! Let go of him! He is the grandson of the great Sandaime Hokage!" a newcomer's voice sounded. Naruto turned with her most deadly glare to look at the man: he had brown eyes and dark hair, which was hidden under the hitai-ate he wore as a dark, blue bandana, and wore a pair of sunglasses. He wore a pair of clothes of the same color as the bandana, with, Naruto noticed, her clan's symbol on both his shoulders. He looked at her through his sunglasses '_It's her… The Kyuubi girl…'_

She looked back at the Sandaime's grandson, who was now smirking at her through his slightly swollen face

"What's the matter with ya? Why don't you hit me if you can? You're no match for a grandson of a Hokage!" it came bravely from him. Hiruzen sighed once again, and covered his eyes looking down on his desk '_Now you just signed your death-warrant…'_

"_What_ did you say? I wouldn't care if you were the Hokage's grandmother!" she yelled at him, tossing him violently through the room once again, making a dent in the other wall.

"What?" it came disbelieving from the bandana-wearing guy

She walked over to him, and stepped hard on his stomach, pushing all the air out of his lungs in a second. She glared at him, "If you want to play your little game, then beat this! I am Uzumaki Naruto, sole heir to the Uzumaki clan! The Uzumaki clan whom are related, and have a very close alliance, with the Senju clan! The Senju clan, which I'm sure you know, co-founded this village, and has bred two of the four Hokage's you see on that mountain! So, if we play our heritage card, I would win, since I am related to both the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage!"

Konohamaru gulped hard. He wasn't stupid enough to provoke her again. And he had to admit, if they played their heritage against each other, she would win big time.

The Uzumaki heiress scoffed and removed her foot from Konohamaru's chest, allowing him to breathe again. She began walking towards the exit, ignoring the glare from the boy's sensei

"People who rely on their family name to rise through the ranks of Shinobi and to gain respect, doesn't deserve either. You're only truly respected when you gain it through your own strength." And with that she left.

Ebisu walked over to Konohamaru and helped him up, and then stood in front of him, preparing a lecture

"Listen, you are the Sandaime Hokage-sama's grandson. Even though she walked into you, you cannot get involved with a _girl_ like her." He paused to see if his charge were listening. He was, good, "No good will come out of dealing with her. I, the elite sensei Ebisu, am never wrong. You wish to become to Godaime Hokage, right? If I teach you shinobi techniques, it will be easy to gain the title of Hokage." He came to the juiciest part of his lecture and smiled to himself

"Yes, the quickest path to becoming a Hokage is to learn from me… Do you understand, omago-sama?"

He finally looked at where Konohamaru was standing, only to find out he wasn't there anymore.

"He's gone!"

Hiruzen, whom had continued the endless paperwork, not looking up at the panicking tokubetsu jounin just replied him calmly, "It looks like he went to follow Naruto."

"What?" Ebisu said in horror, "That's an emergency! Omago-sama!" he began calling, as he ran out of the room, desperately trying to find his young charge.

The old Hokage sighed mentally and got back to his paperwork, '_How did he become like that? That was the 20__th__ attempted ambush… today… And now he is following Naruto-chan_' He sighed '_guess I'll have to swing by the Hospital later…_'

* * *

Naruto walked through one of the minor roads, making her way towards the training-grounds, trying really hard to ignore the perverted kid that was _trying_ to spy on her. Needless to say, he was doing a very poor job: he had tried to hide behind some trashcans, only to knock them over, alarming the whole neighborhood of his presences. He tried to jump from tree to tree, only to slip on one of the branches, landing three meters away from her. And now, he was hiding behind a piece of cloth, trying to camouflage with the wooden fence behind him. The problem was that he had turned it the wrong way, so that the big symbol of Konoha was showing, with a very black background.

"Wrong again. You are really bad, did you know that, kid? And don't they first teach the principles behind Kakuremino no Jutsu in the third year?"

She heard a laugh from behind the sheet and sweatdropped. He had already done that… thrice…

"Nice job detecting me. I should have expected as much from the 'Ice Princess' I've heard so many rumors about"

She clenched her fist and took a deep breath. This kid was really getting on her nerves. No one but Kiba called her 'Ice Princess' straight to her face. "Kid, do you have such a strong wish to have a reunion with my fist?"

Konohamaru ignored it and walked straight in front of her and pointed at her, "I don't mind being your follower."

"What?" that caught her off-guard. The other stuff he had said again and again, but being her follower? No, he defenatly hadn't said that before.

"But in return", he continued, "You will teach me how to be an awesome shinobi!"

"Stop kidding around" she stated flatly

"Don't say that, please! Oyabun!" he began to beg.

"Oyabun?" she asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Oyabun! Oyabun! Oyabun!"

She sighed, finally giving in, "fine… follow me. But if I see you do _anything_ perverted, I will make sure that Sandaime Hokage-sama won't become a great-grandfather!" she warned him, causing him to gulp.

- Twenty minutes later -

The whiskered Uzumaki entered the desolate training-ground with the scarf-wearing academy-student in tow. He was taking a few deep breaths

"Why did we have to go all the way out here?"

"Because I feel like it" she answered him, not wanting to give the truth: that she couldn't train any closer to the village. That is, unless she wanted someone snooping around and see her clan's jutsu and stances. That she was letting the boy see them was a miracle in itself.

She walked a few steps into the field, "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!" Thirty or so clones appeared. She knew she could make up to around one-hundred-and-fifty clones, but if she wanted to train, it was better to have more chakra in each clone. Quality over quantity and all that. She nodded at them, "you all know what to do." As soon as she had said it, the clones took out swords, scrolls, and the fuinjutsu book.

Konohamaru looked starry-eyed at the many clones, "wooow! Are you going to teach me that?"

"No" she said flatly, putting his hopes down right away. "Now, tell me what you have learned at the academy"

"Erm" Konohamaru said while thinking, "We haven't really learned much. We have only been in the academy for about two months…"

The Uzumaki heiress sighed, "I guess we'll take it from the top then." She motioned him to sit down, which he did, and sat down oppose to him. "Now, to use ninjutsu you need to use chakra. The better control of your chakra you have, the easier, and sometimes stronger, your jutsu will be"

Konohamaru nodded, "yeah, I think we learned something like that in class. They said that I can access my chakra just fine. But I still don't understand it… I kind of fell asleep" he finished grinning embarrassedly.

She sighed, "Ok then. To put it simply, chakra is the energy we, the shinobi, use to execute a jutsu. To go more into detail: chakra is the combination of the bodily energy existent in every cell of the body, and the spiritually energy, which accumulates through training, experience and knowledge. After these two energies are mixed together, and sometimes a seal is formed, the jutsu is executed. Ninjutsu is of course just one of the things we can use chakra to, but we're not going to get to that right now."

Konohamaru nodded again, showing he understood. Naruto smiled, the boy wasn't as stupid as she had first thought.

"So now that you understand it, let's turn theory into practice" she said and rose from the grassy ground. The boy just sat there and gave her a look that said 'what the hell are you talking about'. The whiskered girl sighed; while the boy wasn't completely dumb, he clearly wasn't a genius either. She gave him a hand standing up

"What I mean is, now you need to show me you understand by using a jutsu. Let's try the _Henge no Jutsu_."

His eyes brightened. "I know that one!" he put his hands together in a seal, "_henge!_"

In front of her was now standing a rather grotesque version of her. The proportions' were all wrong, showing a very large set of breasts, with very small eyes and legs, and to top it off, a very large red nose. She got a tickmark and facepalmed her head, half in embarrassment, half in anger, and tried not to take offence at the sight before her.

"You clearly need some practice on that one…"

Konohamaru dispelled it, and tried again

"Is this good?"

"You need to put a bit more chakra into it"

Poof, poof

"what about now?"

"This time there was a bit too much chakra"

Poof, poof

- Hours later at early sunset -

The two of them sat on a stump of tree, getting something to eat from the vending machine – who would have thought that there would be one in the middle of the forest? – after hours of practice. While you could see the sapphire-eyed girl had been practicing, she didn't look very exhausted. The opposite were true for the Sandaime's grandson: he looked totally ruined, sweat covering his body… but he had a content smile on his face. Only shortly before they had taken the food-break, had he finally done a henge that Naruto was satisfied with. While the red-haired teacher might be tough, a lot tougher than Ebisu had ever been to him, she was fair. And he couldn't complain, could he now? Naruto had trained him to perfect a jutsu in a few hours, a jutsu he and Ebisu had tried to perfect for weeks. He smiled again and took a bite of his protein-bar.

Naruto looked thoughtfully at the kid beside her, "If you don' mind me asking, but why are you so obsessed with Hokage-no-jiji?" Before she had noticed it, her mask had slipped just a little bit, allowing the kid to hear her call the old Hokage something so familiar. Konohamaru didn't seem to have noticed it as he got a bit of a frown on his face.

"Jiji gave me the name Konohamaru. He took it off from the name of this village." She nodded; she had figured as much. Konohamaru continued, "But even though it's a name that everyone should have heard many times, no one calls me by that name… Whenever anyone sees or calls me, they only see the grandson of a Hokage. No one recognizes me as me… I hate that! So… So I want the title of Hokage right here and now."

She leaned back and thought about it. Surprisingly, she could understand where he was coming from. Although she didn't have a parent, or grandparent for that matter, alive to overshadow her with their abilities, she did have the kyuubi… Very few knew her for her, and acknowledged her thereof. While his couldn't be quite as bad – gosh, she hoped not – it was still bad for him…

"You know, you don't really need that" she said

"Huh?"

She turned her face towards him and smiled, a sincere smile, "You don't really need the whole village to acknowledge you. Don't you have any friends that call you by your name?" Konohamaru nodded. "Then hang onto them with all your might. You don't need a whole village to support or know you, you just knew a few people that you can trust"

"Besides" she continued, "you keep saying 'Hokage', 'Hokage', as it was a title they gave out to everyone. The Hokage is the strongest shinobi in the village, the one who can and will protect all, no matter what they may think of you. You shouldn't aim for that title unless you're serious about it." Konohamaru was completely silent, as he could hear that she had thought a lot about this. She sighed, "You know, many from the village hates me for something I have no control over. Please don't ask me what, just trust me when I say that it's bad… When I was kid I didn't know about it, and I wanted to become the Hokage for the same reasons you want to now. But it changed after I learned of why they hated me… And for a while, I didn't know if I really wanted to become Hokage…" A smiled spread on the doleful face, "but then I met them. My friends, my precious people. I learned that I only need those few people with me, not a whole village. Now, I don't say it wouldn't be nice to have the village acknowledge me, but… it's not something I _need_ anymore."

"Then, do you still want to become the Hokage then?" the scarf-wearing kid asked, completely absorbed with what she was telling him

She smiled at him again, "I do. I realized that I want to protect the few precious people that I have, with all my power. I want to become Hokage for them, to protect them. If it means to protect those who think ill of me, then so be it." Konohamaru nodded again. He had gotten a lot to think about…

"I found you!"

The Uzumaki heir, who went straight back to her act, and the grandson of the Sandaime turned around to see Ebisu standing on a high branch, in the tree behind them. He was especially focusing on Naruto, sending her the coldest eyes.

Naruto scoffed '_It's those eyes again. Everyone keeps sending met hem… But I won't let it face me.'_

Ebisu jumped down from the tree, "Now, Omago-sama, let us go home."

"No!" Konohamaru screamed at his sensei, "I'm staying here with Naruto-oyabun to train! Don't bother me!"

Ebisu smiled, thinking he knew what Konohamaru wanted. "You want to become Hokage, don't you? A Hokage is a title you receive when you understand the principles of morality, knowledge, loyalty, getting along with family, and can use more than a thousand jutsu…" he said walking slowly towards Konohamaru.

"No", the boy answered, "That is not the most important things about being Hokage!"

Ebisu stopped walking and raised an eyebrow, "hmm? Then what is?"

"It is the will to protect the people of the village, no matter what they think about you. Isn't that right, Naruto-neechan?" Naruto was taken aback by the sudden closeness of the honorific, but smiled at the kid

"Yes, that's right Konohamaru"

Ebisu blinked a few times, '_He talks about the Will of Fire. Has he really already learned it? And from the fox nonetheless! If she can teach him that, then what kind of ideas can she put into his head?_'

"Konohamaru, we are leaving. She can teach you anything you will really need"

"Oh yeah? Then watch this! _Henge_!" Konohamaru retorted and was covered in the smoke from the transformation. When the smoke was clear a perfect copy of Ebisu was standing, though he still held the pose of Konohamaru, giving him away immediately. But it was impressive nonetheless.

"But, but… how?" Ebisu asked in disbelief

Konohamaru dispelled the henge, "Neechan taught me!"

Ebisu looked at the girl again. She seemed so distant, and so cold, but why then… He had thought that she would send his charge to the hospital, but instead she had been training him… She had taught him to perfect the jutsu they had been working on for weeks, and had even taught him about the Will of Fire to an extent.

"Konohamaru, go with him" Naruto's voice sounded. It surprised both Konohamaru and Ebisu

"But why? I want to train with you" Konohamaru asked half-crying

She looked at Ebisu for a moment, deciding whether or not to keep her act up. She sighed as she knew this was more important. She got down on eyelevel with the boy and smiled at him

"Because he is a real teacher, I'm not. He will be able to teach you things that I won't be able to… Besides, I will get on a team at the end of the week, and I won't have too much time to train you in. You will be better off with him"

Konohamaru had tears in his eyes, "But-"

"No buts" Naruto said in a stern voice. She softened up a second later, "It doesn't mean we won't see each other around the village. I can maybe train you once in a while, you know"

Konohamaru seemed to brighten up at the prospect, "ok then…"

He walked over to the sunglass-wearing jounin, who was looking at Naruto in a new light. Gone were the cold eyes. '_Maybe, just maybe, have I judged you too soon, Uzumaki Naruto… I will be watching you.'_

He turned to his charge, "Let's go home, young master." The two began walk away from the grounds, but was stopped by Naruto's voice

"And Konohamaru?" said boy turned around to look at the redhead. She smiled at him once again, "Don't forget what I told you"

"I won't" he smiled back. "It's a promise."

* * *

- The day of the Team Assignments -

Naruto was sitting quietly at her spot in the back of the class. She was holding the book, still reading it. You would think that with ten clones reading it for five days she would be done, but no… She was amazed by what you could do with seals. It was like this whole new world that had been opened up for her. It was its own world. She had gotten a new understanding why Uzushiogakure was so feared, even though it was so little, if her clan really was as proficient in the fuinjutsu arts as Hiruzen said they were.

The book she was reading didn't say anything about how to make seals. It was more on the theory behind them, and how they could be used. The reason for this was the risks in doing seals… To differ from normal jutsu, where if you do it wrong, the jutsu will simply not work, in fuinjutsu it could blow up a large area… as some of her ancestors had found out the hard way.

The last few days had been ok. She had gotten the jutsu she had been training in down, and had gotten to the first stage of the Odoru Mizu no Megami, and then she had been reading the Uzumaki book on fuinjutsu. The only 'bad' thing was that she hadn't seen her friends… But she knew why they hadn't been able to. Both of them were trained by their clans – especially Hinata – to prepare them for the life of a genin.

She looked up from her book when she heard someone approach her. It was Hinata and Kiba. She showed them a quick smile, a little longer one to Kiba, before putting her nose back into her 'new' book.

Hinata stopped up for a second to take in her new outfit, before shrugging and sitting beside her. Kiba grinned, and she could've sworn Akamaru also did, at her, and sat on her other side. When both of them were there she could feel a little weight getting lifted from her stomach. Oh, it would be too hard if she wouldn't get on the same team as one of them.

Not long after did Iruka enter the classroom

"Ok class, settle down"

Most of the students didn't hear him, causing a tick mark to appear on Iruka. He used his big-scary-head jutsu "I SAID SETTLE DOWN!" that got the desired effect. Sakura raised her hand from her seat next to Sasuke

"Excuse me, Iruka-sensei, but where is Mizuki-sensei?"

"Mizuki", Iruka said loud enough to catch everyone's attention, "will no longer be teaching at the Academy. He have been found guilty of treason against Konoha, as he tried to steal the Scroll of Seals from the Hokage's own home. Furthermore, it has come to our attention that he tried to mess with some of our students", he said while looking straight at Naruto. She scoffed mentally; she could have told him that, "so now he will be spending a long time in Konoha's dungeons."

All the newly graduated genin looked at him in surprise. Surely none of them, beside three very special former students, had expected something like that. The scarred chunin cleared his throat

"Now, starting today you are all official shinobi, but you are all still just rookie genin. It's going to get harder from here - a lot harder. You will all be put in teams of three, where you will accomplish missions under a Jounin sensei." That got the class' attention: Most of them hadn't expected a three-man team. Naruto wasn't surprised, and to that extend, neither were Kiba nor Hinata. Naruto had spent enough time in the Hokage's office, and gotten spied on by shinobi, that she knew that shinobi normally worked in squads of four. There were of course exceptions, as the ANBU, and special teams for important tasks… But that didn't matter now. They were going to be put into teams of three, with a jounin sensei, that made four. Maybe, just maybe, would she get on team with Kiba and Hinata… or at least just one of them.

Iruka continued "We've arranged the groups such that overall abilities are equivalent. Please remain seated and quiet till all the teams have been called. I will now announce the teams: Team 1 is…"

The Uzumaki heiress started reading her book again. She had had enough training to be able to listen, or choosing not to, while reading, so she would be able to hear if her or her friend's names were called.

"Team 7 will be: Aburame Shino, Haruno Sakura", you could see the pinkette visible shrink at the prospect at being on team with 'the bug boy'. She kind of felt a little bad for the Aburame kid. He didn't deserve that, "and Uchiha Sasuke. You jounin sensei is Hatake Kakashi." That got the reverse effect on the girl. She jumped from her seat and pointed at Ino

"Take that Ino-pig!"

"Why you forehead-"

"Girls! What did I tell you about remaining calm?"

"Sorry Iruka-sensei" it came from both of them as they sat down again.

Naruto heard snickers from Kiba, and turned to give him a questioning look. He grinned at her, "Shino is really going to have it. I mean, can you imagine being on the team with the pink harpy _and_ the brooding king." The red-haired girl shook her head with a small smile.

"Next Team 8", Iruka continued, "it will consist of Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and Uzumaki Naruto. Your jounin sensei is Yuhi Kurenai." A flash of recognition ran through the Hyuuga heiress' eyes. But none of her new teammates saw that.

Naruto couldn't believe it. For once her wish had actually come true! She was jumping up and down on the inside, but kept her calm and collected mask on. Kiba on the other hand couldn't contain his happiness

"Yes! Yahoo! I got to be on team with Her Royal Shyness and the Ice Princess! Take that!"

"Oi Kiba!" one of the boys from the class called, "why are you so happy? You're going to be on an all _girls_ squad!"

"You're just jealous", Kiba retorted, "You got Sushi on your team, while I got both Naruto and Hinata! They could beat your ass in less than a minute!"

"They could beat yours too, you know"

"Why you-"

Naruto had had enough of it and pulled the dog-boy down to his seat

"Sit! And I told to stop calling me Ice Princess!" she hissed

That of course got the rest of the class to laugh, and Kiba to blush furiously. What nobody knew, was that he blushed because of how close Naruto had been when she hissed at him.

Iruka sighed, "Thank you Naruto… There won't be a Team 9, as last year's Team 9 is still in effect. Team 10 will be Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru and Akamichi Choji, and your jounin sensei is Sarutobi Asuma." Naruto heard Ino groan loudly, and Shikamaru whisper something that sounded awfully lot like 'troublesome…'

"That's it for the Teams. Now, your Jounin Sensei will be here after lunch, you can do what you want until then"

- After lunch -

"Team 8?" a voice called into the classroom. Naruto, Kiba, and Hinata all looked up to what could only be described as a very attractive woman. So much that Naruto had to… _remind_ him that he was in the presence of two, not one, but two girls, by punching her elbow into his ribcage. It couldn't have been that hard… sure Akamaru fell off of his head, but… It was something he had to get used to.

The woman, whom Naruto concluded was the Yuhi Kurenai, had long and black, shoulder-length hair. What caught Naruto's attention were the eyes: they were very unique, being red in color, much like the Sharingan. It even had an additional ring, but it didn't have an tomoe. She was wearing red lipstick and purple eye shadow as makeup. Her outfit consisted of a red mesh armor blouse with only the right sleeve visible. Over it was a very broad material which resembled bandages with a pattern on it similar to those of rose thorns. Her hands and upper thighs were also wrapped in bandages, and she was wearing her hitai-ate like a regular shinobi – on the forehead.

The members of the newly formed Team 8 rose from their seats and followed their new sensei. Naruto was looking her over, trying to decide what to make of the rookie jounin. She couldn't let her guard down… she would just end up hurt. But so far this Kurenai didn't seem to have a problem with her status… Maybe she should give the jounin a chance.

Kurenai stopped when they reached the schoolyard, and went over to some benches. The three genin sat down in front of her. She smiled at them

"Now, since we're a new team, I think we should introduce ourselves to each other, so please tell the others a little about yourselves."

"Erm, sensei?" Kiba asked careful, not wanting to get on her bad site, "we already know each other"

She kept smiling at him, "well, I don't know you that well, and it's also tradition. Look, I'll begin: I am Yuhi Kurenai, and I just became a jounin a few months ago, just after the last exams. I specialize in various areas of genjutsu, but I also do have some skill in ninjutsu. My hobbies are having evening drinks, working in my garden and singing karaoke with my friends. My dislikes are drunks, perverts and male chauvinists that think kunoichi can't be great shinobi, just because they are girls. My favorite phrase is '_Glory like a violet blooming a single day_'. My ambition is to prove to the village that kunoichi can be successful, and hopefully to train someone who becomes Hokage."

The three genin blinked at the information, at least at the last part. Kiba and Hinata both knew that Naruto's dream was to become the Hokage. Said girl just sat there nicely and began presenting herself.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, heir to the Uzumaki Clan. I am the last known member of my clan. I don't specialize in anything yet, but I have a strong skill in ninjutsu and kenjutsu. My hobbies are training, learning new jutsu, working with plants, and eating at Ichiraku's. My dislikes are perverts, pestering insects, and narrow-sighted people. My favorite phrase is '_The spiral keeps spinning, even under the strongest of storms_'. As for my ambition for the future… I want to resurrect my clan, and… I want to become the Hokage to protect those I hold dear."

Kurenai nodded with a smile, "You're next Inuzuka"

"My name is Inuzuka Kiba, and this is my partner Akamaru. I've become heir to my clan after my neechan resigned the title. I specialize in my clan's taijutsu and I fight with Akamaru. My hobbies are taking Akamaru for walks and hanging out with Her Royal Shyness and the Ice Princess"

"Who?" Kurenai asked as Naruto was giving him another glare

He just grinned at Naruto, "Sorry, Hinata and Naruto. My dislikes are people who a cruel to animals and people who thinks my clan is a 'dog house'. I don't really have a phrase, but I love the work '_Akamaru_'." The white puppy barked happily at that. Kiba continued, "My ambition for the future is to become the best tracker the village has ever had, even better than my father was."¨

Kurenai nodded again, "And last you Hinata"

"Hai. My name is Hyuuga Hinata. I am the heir to the Hyuuga Clan. I specialize in my clan's taijutsu style, juukenpo, and have very accurate chakra control. My hobbies are pressing flowers, painting, and being with my friends. My dislikes are people who judge others fast, without knowing them… My favorite phrase is '_Self-confidence_'. My ambition for the future is becoming a good clan-head, and to stop the feud in my clan, and unite them as one."

Kurenai was impressed with the girl. She could still remember the very shy and stammering girl she had left at the Academy. Sure, the girl still spoke with a low voice, but it was an improvement. They all had good dreams for the future, and she would do what she could to make them come true.

"Good. That will be all for today. Tomorrow meet me at training-ground 27 at 10 of clock. We will have a little test, so I can see how skilled you are. Dismissed" she said, and disappeared with a shunshin.

* * *

- Next morning at training-ground 27 -

Kurenai was pleased to see her new students show up in good time, a whole thirty minutes before time. She couldn't help but think what a… weird bunch they were. Individually they weren't so weird, but that those three had found each other was almost unimaginable. First there was Hinata, the quiet and drawn-back girl, who hadn't been able to finish a single sentence without stuttering three times – that was in sharp contrast to her clan, where most members had a ten-foot metal pole stuck up their ass.

Then there was the loudest guy that had been in the class – the Inuzuka clan's own Kiba. Unlike Hinata, he had inherited the full package of his clan: the pack-mentality, the instincts, and of course their rashness and loudmouthness. As far as she knew, he wouldn't be separated by his dog if he could help it. The girls of the team had also seemed to take a liking to the puppy. But Kurenai knew she shouldn't judge and Inuzuka puppy by its look; they could turn from cute and cuddly to feral and ferocious. And so could Kiba… she hoped.

And last, but by no means least, there was the red-haired beauty, Konoha's own 'Ice Princess', as keeper had charmingly called her. To everyone she could seem cold and distant, but Kurenai knew better, after only spending a day spying on the girl.

As far as Kurenai had seen, the _real_ Naruto was calm and calculated, had obvious talent for being kunoichi, and valued her friends very highly. And to impress the jounin further, she seemed to have forgiven, or at least didn't held a grudge, against all the villagers and shinobi for treating her like crap because of the fox.

She smiled at the three genin standing in front of her, "Since we're all here, we can just as well get started. First you need to know that before you can become full genin, you have to pass a test."

"What?" it came from Kiba, "I thought we already passed at the Academy!"

"Auf", Akamaru barked in agreement.

"Did you really think that a written test, a spar, and three jutsu could get you fully passed?" Naruto asked rhetorically, causing a light scowl to appear on the fanged boy.

Kurenai nodded, "You're right Naruto; it wasn't enough. To answer your question Kiba, the test on the Academy was to sort out the hopeless cases. After that jounin, shinobi who have been shinobi for years, and know how the life is, will test you to see if you also have the mentality and ability to be a shinobi."

Neither Naruto nor Hinata seemed surprised by it. Kurenai concluded that Hinata had probably learned it from her clan, and Naruto was smart enough to guess it without anyone telling her. Kiba was another story; his jaw was currently on the ground, and his eyes wide as teacups. Akamaru just whimpered.

"Now, this test differs from jounin to jounin", the red-eyed jounin continued, "what I am going to do is this: first I'm going to test your tai- and ninjutsu. I already know you work well together, so I won't be testing that. After I have fought all three of you, we will have another kind of test… First up is Hinata – Kiba, Naruto, you can wait over there", she said as she pointed over at a fallen-over tree trunk, making a make-shift bench. The Uzumaki and Inuzuka heirs went over to the bench and sat, while Hinata stood in front of Kurenai, feeling a little uncomfortable under the eyes of her new sensei.

Kurenai smiled encouraging at her, "Don't worry Hinata, we're not really going to fight: I just need to assess your skills more than they did in the Academy. Now you start, and I will just defend myself against your attacks."

Hinata nodded. She activated her Byakugan, and went into the juukenpo stance. And she charged.

Kurenai was impressed. While it had been some years since she escorted the girl to the Academy, she had still improved a lot. Kurenai could see that Hinata relied more on her speed than on power. Smart move. Since those who use the juuken only have to grace you to hurt you, it was very smart to focus on the speed of the hits, than on the power. She also seemed rather good at dodging… sure, Kurenai got hits in, and if she went all out, the genin wouldn't stand a chance, but that wasn't what this test was about.

The rookie-jounin jumped over leg sweeps, dodged the hits, and blocked by the wrists – she had learned the hard way that you couldn't go hand to hand… that had hurt like a bitch. All in all, Hinata lived up to her name as a Hyuuga, excelling in their taijutsu style. It wasn't really a surprise that there wasn't used any nin- or genjutsu. The Hyuuga Clan liked to rely on their superior juukenpo.

After six or seven minutes of this, Kurenai called a stop, "Ok Hinata, that's enough."

"Hai", Hinata said while breathing a little hard. Kurenai couldn't blame her; she had given her all for over five minutes, against a jounin. Close to every new genin would be just the slightest winded after that.

"You did well", she nodded to Hinata, the girl showing a content smile. Kurenai turned towards the log, "Kiba, get out here."

Kiba jumped out of his seat with Akamaru at his side, as he switched places with Hinata. Naruto sigh dreamingly, and couldn't help but smile at his energy. She heard a snickering and glanced over at Hinata. The lavender-eyed girl was giving her a knowingly look. The Uzumaki heiress' response to this was to cough hard, and go back into her mask, trying to get the blush away from her face. Kiba hadn't noticed a thing, as he and his partner were already going at it.

Kurenai could easily see the differences between the Hyuuga's and the Inuzuka's taijutsu styles. The juukenpo was much more levelheaded, and aimed at precise points in the body, but the Inuzuka style was much more straight forward: hit anything and make it bleed… okay, it was a bit more complicated than that, but to any outsider it could seem like it. As far as she knew, the style focuses on ripping muscles and blood vessels. You could almost say it was a middle-ground between juukenpo and goken: you still had that strong force that deals damage to the outside of your body, but the knowledge and slices that focusing on the internal function of the body.

Kiba also seemed to work well with his partner, no surprise there. As soon as she focused on one of them, the other would use the opportunity to try and strike. All in all, it was very different from the style she had fought minutes before, but he was good at it. If he and Hinata ever teamed up against an enemy, it would be very hard for him to adjust to the different styles.

The fanged boy growled as his new sensei again flowed around his swipe, and then jump to avoid the white dog trying to trip her from her backside. He knew he couldn't beat her, but couldn't he at least get _one_ hit in?

"Akamaru", he called as he jumped back a few meters, his partner following him not a second after. Kurenai got ready; it was obvious that he was up to something.

He crouched down and Akamaru jumped upon his back. He formed the tiger seal,

"_Jujin Bunshin!_"

The white puppy was covered in smoke, and when it cleared, a very feral version of Kiba was crouching on the originals back. He smirked, as the two Kibas jumped off of the ground and began spinning. A lot. Soon they were just two grey spinning blur. Then they changed course, aiming straight for the female jounin.

"_Gatsuuga!_"

Kurenai, being an experienced shinobi, could easily dodge the taijutsu move, as impressive as it was, from a green genin. She jumped back a few meters like Kiba had done before his jutsu, and avoided the spinning mass of destruction. They hit the ground with a loud crash, and a debris cloud covered the small area. The wind soon blew the cloud away, and uncovering an impressive, well, impressive for a fresh genin, crater. Kiba and Akamaru both looked rather dizzy, and they didn't seem to be able to stand straight.

Kurenai jumped down in the meter deep dent in the earth and touched Kiba on the neck, "While that is a very impressive move, it doesn't look like you have gotten over the drawbacks. If I were an enemy, I could take you out while you were suffering from the dizziness. Try to find a way to locate your enemy while you're spinning like that – I can't imagine you can see straight in that condition. Maybe use that impressive Inuzuka nose of yours. All in all, you did very well."

Kiba, who was trying to keep his lunch down, nodded while picking up his partner. Kurenai took his arm and helped him over at the make-shift bench to sit down. She nodded at the last member of their new team

"Now it's your turn Naruto."

The redhead simply rose from her seat and walked onto the field, followed closely by Kurenai. Both Kiba, still dizzy, and Hinata watched closely; they had both noticed Naruto's new weapon, and wondered what she could do with it. Also, they knew that their friend had been working on some jutsu, or something like it, and they weren't going to miss seeing her finally reveling what it was.

Naruto took a slightly different style than what she usually did, and drew her new katana. Her feet were lightly spread, katana drawn back in her right hand in height with her hand, and the left hand was in front of her chest with the palm open. Kurenai smiled at what was obviously a much practiced stance. The katana was held so she could either attack or black, her left hand as well. Her feet were lightly spread, not too far and not too little, giving her the possibility to dodge, jump or anything in between in almost any direction. Yes, it was a very impressive stance.

The ripple-eyed jounin took out a kunai and held it in a reverse grip; she would be blocking in this fight, not attacking. She didn't use weapons very often, but she could still use them well.

The whiskered girl didn't move from her stance as she analyzed her opponent. She knew that there was no way she could beat her, and it was highly unlikely that she would even land a hit on her, so she just had to give it her all, and show her full skill. But maybe again… if she used _that_, she could maybe catch the jounin by surprise… But first, she would show her skills with her new katana. She charged.

Kurenai braced herself as the red-haired beauty ran towards her. But she looked nothing like when Kiba had charged her. She could see the sapphire-eyed girl move her legs and all, but it looked so much like she was flowing across the ground. And Naruto slashed her sword. Kurenai drew her kunai in position and blocked. She was surprised by the raw power behind it. Sure, she had guessed the girl had some muscles, hell she could see them on her, but this was more than she had expected.

Naruto saw the block, not surprising her, so she drew her blade back in a flowing motion. She bent lightly down in her knees and rotated with the sword in her outstretched arm.

Kurenai saw where she was aiming, and jumped back half a meter and avoided it. Now, she hadn't expected her to aim intentionally there. The sword had been aimed at just over the navel; an area many had less easy with blocking. It was much easier to block near solar plexus or below the navel, as the arm would be folded together, or nearly fully stretched. Just in between was harder. She was clearly skilled with her sword, even though she had barely had it a week.

The fight continued with Kurenai keep being surprised with the girl's skills. It seemed that this style, while still trying to aim at where she could injure the opponent hard, focused more on striking area's that people normally had a harder time blocking. She had done that just above the navel, upper arms, just below the knee. It was a most impressive kenjutsu style, and one the jounin hadn't seen before.

Naruto smiled. This was a most satisfying fight. She hadn't had a hard challenge at the academy, so she enjoyed this. She knew she couldn't beat the jounin, but she would sure as hell try to get a hit in.

She forced Kurenai back some meters, with a diagonal slash aimed at the chest. She smirked confidently at her new sensei: it was time to get a bit more serious. Naruto, still holding the sword, formed a very cross-fingered seal

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!"

Twenty or so clones appeared around the two fighters. Kurenai had expected the small army to come straight at her, but was surprised when only the original and three clones charged. While she had to up her game against the extra swords, it was still no problem for her. She ducked, jumped, blocked, and sidestepped the many slashes, while she saw the remaining clones take positions around her in a circle that had what she guessed was a twenty meter radius.

As soon as the last clone had taken its place, the three clones fighting knew what they had to do. They drew a harder offensive as Naruto jumped back and began going through hand-seals.

"_Suiton: Mizurappa!"_ the fifteen Naruto yelled.

Now, for the first time this day, Kurenai was surprised and shocked. That was a C-Rank elemental ninjutsu: genin shouldn't be able to use those. Furthermore, she used it together with her clones! Kurenai had guessed that the girl had a lot of chakra, just by the feat of being able to make this many Kage Bunshin, but to be able to use a C-Rank elemental ninjutsu… that was just insane.

Kurenai dodged the originals jutsu, and prepared to dodge the many others that she was sure were coming her way. But wait: Only about six of them came her way. The rest of them was aimed at on spot in the sky above them, were they collided, causing the field to be soaked in water. She took her eyes off the point of collision, and brought her eyes back to Naruto. She was now standing in a stance not much unlike the one you would be in to use _Kirigakure no Jutsu_, but instead of the right hand having two fingers pointing up, it was the sword, and her eyes were closed… she seemed to be concentrating rather hard. Finally she opened her eyes, and brought her sword down to point at Kurenai.

First nothing happened, but a few seconds later the ongoing falling water seemed to slow around her, and then stopping completely. The water began to move together in small globes of water, and small rings appeared around the girl. Kurenai stared in awe, '_She shouldn't be able to do that! It's just like… like what Nidaime-sama used to fight like with his Suiton.'_

The Uzumaki heiress smirked at Kurenai, "Now the fight will begin."

The red-haired beauty, only looking even more exotic now with the water around her body, charged to rookie jounin. It was the same movements as before, but with every slash, water followed in a long stream, and it seemed just as sharp as the blade itself. Naruto jumped into the air, did a front flip, and brought down her foot aiming at Kurenai's face. The black-haired jounin didn't miss the water that followed, and quickly jumped back. And good that she did; Naruto's foot hit where Kurenai had been seconds before. The hit itself made the earth crack a little, but it was the water that was dangerous. From her foot, and in a long blade forward, the water had sliced the earth open, leaving a long slim gash.

Naruto didn't let up and charged again, slashing in her dancing taijutsu style, and even made small water-blades shoot out from the water globes. But Kurenai dodged them all. Naruto began feeling the strain of fighting like this against a jounin. But she wanted so badly to land just _one_ hit.

Naruto quickly formulated a plan to end this. She 'grabbed' one of the water globes with her left hand and threw it against Kurenai's face. She quickly moved to dodge it, but was then hit by a force of water from under her chin, and staggered back a step. First she was wide-eyed – she had just been hit by a genin! –, but then smiled. She had really chosen the perfect prodigy to teach.

Naruto finally having reached her goal, collapsed on her knees. The water that had almost magically levitated in the air around the girl broke apart and fell to the ground. There were a lot of puffs sounding, proof that the many Kage Bunshin dispelled, only adding to the fatigue she was feeling. She couldn't even stay on her knees… She closed her eyes and began falling backwards. She expected to feel the wet grass to hit her back, but instead fell into something warm and comfortable. She opened her eyes to see two slit black eyes looking back at her. It was Kiba.

He was smiling broadly at her, "Naruto, that was _awesome_!"

Hinata, standing just beside them, nodded. "Yeah, that was some show you put on Naruto-kun", she smiled at them.

"I couldn't agree more", Kurenai said, "You really are something else. I would say that you should be able to take down most genin, if not a few chunin. That's quite a feat for a genin whom didn't graduate one week ago. Now, let's take a break, and then I will explain the last test."

They went over to the log – which thankfully was out of the waters way -, and the sensei of Team 8 took out a couple of drinking bottles. They just sat there drinking. Kurenai noticed that it had only been about three or four minutes before Naruto stopped breathing hardly. When the fifth minute was over, she didn't even look like she had been in a fight. Kurenai smiled, '_what stamina. At least that fox has given her a few perks, along with all the bad things it has brought her._'

"Break's over", it came from Kurenai, catching the attention of her team. They all stood up in front of her, "This is the last test: Track me down."

"What? That's it?" Kiba asked in disbelief. Hinata and Naruto looked to have similar thoughts running through their heads.

She nodded at them, "Yeah, that's it. With this teams skills, this could very well turn into a recon and intelligence gathering team, or a hunter-nin team. Both kind involves tracking, so that's what you're going to do. Now, find me within the hour." And with that she disappeared.

Naruto cursed, "she must've casted a genjutsu on us while we were taking the break." She turned to see both of her friends looking at her expectantly.

"What?"

"Well, it's usually you that comes up with plans and such" Kiba stated

"Auf, Auf", Akamaru barkingly agreed.

Naruto looked at Hinata who shrugged lightly, "He's kinda right."

She sighed, "Ok, give me a minute." She thought for a minute or so, going through many different scenarios. Finally she came to a plan she thought they could complete fast.

"Ok, listen up", she said – but it wasn't really needed, as she already had her teammates attention -, "First, I will track her down with my clones. She will surely dispel it, causing its memories to return to me. We go to where it was, and from there Kiba and Akamaru should be able to track them down. But since her scent is sure to be spread around where she is hiding, you two", she nodded at the Inuzuka heir and his partner, "will only be able to lead us to a general area. That's when Hinata comes into the picture. We will need your Byakugan to find the precise location of Kurenai-sensei."

"Sounds good to me", Kiba said as he and Hinata nodded satisfied with the plan.

Naruto med the cross-handed seal again, "_Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_"

A few hundred clones appeared, quickly scattering through the wooden area. It didn't take long for them to find Kurenai. The genin of Team 8 quickly made their way there, used the Inuzuka nose to find their sensei's general area, and used the Hyuuga's Byakugan to find her.

Kurenai blinked a few times, "That was fast." The three genin looked at her, waiting for a judgment. She nodded, "You pass. From tomorrow Team 8 will be ready to take on missions!"

Kiba burst out with cheers, taking Naruto by the hands and dancing with her. She blushed hard, and when he found out what he had done, so did he. But lucky for the two, the awkward situation was interrupted by Kiba's growling stomach.

Naruto sighed and shook her head with a smile, "some things never changed, do they?" Kiba didn't have any answers, and just scratched his head embarrassedly.

* * *

**Authors Note:** And chapter 3 is done. Wow, that was longer than I had expected. But I decided against breaking it up in another chapter - it would ruin the 'flow'. Now, next chapter will probably be after a little time-skip, where Team 8 have been genin for a little while.

For those who are reading 'Shoton of Konoha': DO NOT WORRY! I am currently in the process of writing the next chapter, but have hit a bit of a writer's block. I have a problem to come from point A to point B. But I have NOT abandoned it. I just want to make sure it's good and all.

Back to this story: I really wanted to get the Konohamaru scene into the story, though I know many just skips it, or makes it incredible short. I just thought it was necessary, as fem!Naru and Konohamaru's relationship will be a lot different than canon!naru and Konohamaru's relationship. I hope that you can see the differences.

I also hope that I showed in this chapter that Hinata is different that canon, with her having a good female friend. Now, she isn't a loudmouth and all that, she is still a quiet girl, but she has confidence in herself. Hope I haven't made her too OC. Tell me what you think about her.

And what do you think of my explanation of the Inuzuka taijutsu style? I mean, neither the manga nor the anime have really given an explanation on what the style focuses on. So I thought these seemed plausible. Review or PM me and tell me what you think about it :)

And damn do I have a hard time writing Akamaru? Just making him mark once in a while to show he is there, is kind of… I don't know. Tell me what you think, and give any suggestions you may have.

A couple of people have PM'ed me and asked for some visualization on the Uzumaki taijutsu style. As I wrote in the last chapter, I think it was, the user almost 'dances' around the opponents strike to infuriate them, and then strike back at joints and weak points in the body. When I visualize it, and also the Odoru Mizu no Megami, I think about waterbending mixed with a bit of airbending from 'Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra'. Those flowing movements (I think it kind of looks like dancing) from water, with the spinning from airbending is it.

Again, I will finish the next chapter of 'Shoton of Konoha' soon, but my physics exam is coming up on Thursday, and my English exam on Monday, so I have to study… again… But after that, I'm done :) a bit weird for me, but it means that I will have more time to write! (But don't think there will be updates very other day. I do have a life!... ok, I don't but that's not the point.)

And lastly I have a request. When I use other words to describe Naruto, Kiba and Hinata, I see that I maybe use the same words much, as 'red-haired beauty', 'fanged boy', 'pale-eyed', etc. etc., so I was wondering if you could give me some more descriptions I could use? It would help me a lot :) thanks.

So, until next time.

**Omago-sama – Honorable Grandson**

**Kakuremino no Jutsu - Cloak of Invisibility Technique:** This technique allows a ninja to take a cloak or a piece of cloth to blend into an object, making them invisible. Konohamaru uses this technique constantly in the beginning of the series to try and fool Naruto Uzumaki, but uses poor disguises, such as square rocks with eye-holes, cloaks that are incorrectly patterned or rotated the wrong way around, or simply not covering himself completely, thus betraying the illusion.

**Oyabun – roughly translated into 'boss'.**

**Juukenpo – Gentle Fist Art:** The Gentle Fist is a form of hand-to-hand combat used by members of the Hyuuga clan. It inflicts internal damage through attacking the body's Chakra Pathway System, subsequently injuring organs which are closely intertwined with the area of the network which has been struck. To do this, the user surgically injects a certain amount of their own chakra into the opponent's chakra pathway system, causing damage to surrounding organs due to their proximity to the chakra circulatory system. Even the slightest tap can cause severe internal damage, hence the name "gentle" fist.

Targeting the tenketsu can enhance the havoc and control a Gentle Fist practitioner can impose upon an opponent's chakra network. These special nodes, 361 in total, are key gate-keeping interceptions in the chakra circulatory network, thus forcibly opening or sealing them in whatever manner the Gentle Fist user sees fit is a powerful tactical option to have. The user's chakra can either increase chakra flow in the opponent's body, or disrupt it completely, preventing them from using techniques.

Because the chakra pathway system is invisible to the naked eye, the Byakugan is required for this style to be used effectively. Since the Byakugan is unique to the Hyuuga clan, it has become their signature style of combat.

The ability to inflict severe internal trauma with minimal external force, combined with chakra network manipulation, makes the Gentle Fist the most reputable and fearsome taijutsu style known in all of Konohagakure.

**Tenketsu - "Chakra Points", Literally meaning "Pressure points":** Tenketsu are simply nodes from which chakra can be released. There are 361 tenketsu in the body, each one is a checkpoint on the Chakra Pathway System. Though ninja use chakra regularly, very few ninja possess any great control over their tenketsu. Even jounin are only capable of releasing a small amount of chakra through their hands or feet to increase the power of punches, jumps, or kicks. The Hyuuga clan, whose entire fighting style is based around manipulating the chakra pathway system, controlling the tenketsu is a regular matter.

**Goken – Strong Fist:** Strong Fist is Guy's and Lee's characteristic fighting style, the purpose of which is to cause external damage and break bones. It is the exact opposite of juukenpo which is used mainly by the Hyuuga Clan. This style of fighting involves smashing your opponent and is generally used only by extremely physically powerful and dominating shinobi.

**Jujin Bunshin – Beast Human Clone:** A modified version/mix of the Henge no Jutsu and Bunshin no Jutsu, which is unique to the Inuzuka clan, allows a canine-user to transform their animal companion into a perfect copy of themselves. When combined with the Shikyaku no Jutsu, the user and the animal become virtually impossible to tell apart, since both act equally animalistic. Like any transformation, the technique can be broken by identifying and attacking the animal, thus dispelling the transformation. This technique is often followed by the Gatsuuga.

**Shikyaku no Jutsu – Four Legs Technique:** This technique grants animal-like accelerated fighting instinct and reflexes to the user. By enveloping their entire body in chakra and moving on all fours, they can obtain high speed movement and reflexes like that of a wild animal.

Taught only to the members of the Inuzuka clan, this technique forms the basis of an Inuzuka clan member's taijutsu fighting style, and will add even more to their feral-like appearances; their canine teeth, their finger and toenails grow to claw-like length, their eyes also become wilder with their pupils becoming slits.

When under the effects of this technique, an Inuzuka will display great feats of physical strength, speed, agility and endurance. The form is best suited for using and supporting the ferocious "hit-and-run" tactics that the clan is well known for, leaving the enemy barely any time to launch a counter attack.

**Gatsuuga – Fang Passing Fang:** The user and their ninken partner spin at a ferocious speed and deliver many powerful beast-like attacks when contact is made with the target. The force of this attack is strong enough to drill through stone. This attack can be done alone; named Tsuuga.

**Tsuuga – Passing Fang:** The user spins at a ferocious speed and delivers many powerful beast-like attacks when contact is made with the target. The damage it can inflict on a human target can be extremely damaging, as it can readily tear through thick tree branches and chakra reinforced Doton wall; all of which with a radius thicker than the user itself.

**Katana – Sword:** A **katana** is a long, bladed weapon used for combat. While most swords in _Naruto_ are traditional Japanese katana, tanto, or ninjato, swords used by main characters tend to bear little resemblance to real-life weapons, as is the case with the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist's swords. Other swords that have been introduced in the series have mystical or special powers, including Orochimaru's Sword of Kusanagi and the Sword of Totsuka as wielded by Itachi Uchiha's Susanoo.

Most shinobi appear to have a preference towards long and wide blades while some ninja like Tenten use shorter swords, mainly for throwing them long-range. Of note are the samurai of the Land of Iron who are nearly all seen with swords, and the shinobi of the Land of Lightning which boasts a visible majority carrying them. A sword noted for belonging to a particular wielder is known as a Meito (名刀; Literally meaning "Famous/Excellent Sword").

**Suiton: Mizurappa – Water Release: Water Trumpet:** The user launches a large jet of water from their mouth through their hand. This gives the appearance of playing a trumpet, hence the name.

**Kirigakure no Jutsu – Hiding in Mist Technique:** This displacement technique is a specialty of the ninja from Kirigakure, where one causes a mist to spring forth by lifting up some water from either a pre-existing source or expelled from their mouth, then goes in and out of sight at will from within the pearly-white realm. The mist's thickness is controlled by the amount of chakra kneaded into it. It can't fool the Byakugan, but, due to the mist being created with the user's chakra, any Sharingan and Rinnegan-user will see the mist colored by their opponent's chakra, which will effectively hide the user from the dojutsu.

**Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Multiple Shadow Clone Technique:** This jutsu is essentially a massive version of the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Instead of a few clones, it creates a few hundred clones (or a number of equal grandeur). This is considered a kinjutsu, because it can potentially be dangerous to the person performing it, seeing as how all of the clones are given an equal amount of chakra directly from the user. Naruto learned the technique from the scroll of forbidden seals written by the Shodai Hokage.

**Kinjutsu - Literally meaning "Forbidden Techniques":** Kinjutsu are techniques that have been banned from being taught or used. This ban could have been put in place for any number of reasons, but kinjutsu can generally be put in either of two categories:

Techniques that do extreme harm to oneself (e.g. the Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, which will bring almost any user to the brink of death by mere use).

Techniques that violate the laws of nature (e.g. the Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation, which resurrects the dead with a human sacrifice).

Despite being banned, the use of these techniques generally does not carry any legal consequences in respects to the village they're used in, except those brought on by the techniques themselves. However, their use is heavily frowned upon, especially those techniques that violate nature.


	4. Her Team

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Roboguy45****:** To be completely honest, I haven't thought about that. But lucky for me, there is some time before that will become an issue :) I will think of something.

**Cluelessness:**The Kenjutsu talent is a mix of things :). As I've said, she has inherited her fathers brain, so learning, or understanding, a jutsu or style wouldn't be too difficult for her. And yes, she has used Kage Bunshin to help her. With Konohamaru she summoned a small army of them to train, while she trained the kid :)

You got to remember that Kurenai didn't give her all. She was up against a fresh genin, so why should she? She didn't go on the offence either, or used any gen- or ninjutsu, which are her trump cards. But that's not to say that Naruto doesn't have talent. As Kurenai said: she could probably take most genin in the village, and maybe low-level chunin.

I'm happy you liked the Konohamaru scene: I had a lot of fun writing it. I needed to use a little time to figure out how their relationship should be, as it will be different from canon. I don't really see this Naruto competing with Konohamaru about who can make the most erotic jutsu -.-'. She almost beat him to a pulp when she touched her... ok, a little more than touched her, but you get what I mean.

There is sure to be some tracking mission(s) for them, but in part 2 of the series, where the 'real' teams are formed, they will be in that 'squad' that takes on Akatsuki related missions.

Team 8's first C-rank mission will not be wave. Not sure if I will take the mission from 'Team 8', with a few tweaks, or if I should do something else... If you have any ideas for a first C-rank mission, then please do tell :). And I haven't decided if Team 8 will go on the wave mission. I think they will, but will be called as back-up or something.

**Arvarno:** It's true; skill wise she is very good. I wouldn't say she is a genius, but she has inherited her father's good brain, and she is just as hardworking as she is in canon.

I can see why you say that there would be a problem with her not having any problems, when you have only read the first three chapters. Those chapters was more of a presentation of the main characters and their interaction with each other, while this chapter will put some of the 'problem's' in the light. Now, in my opinion, there won't be any 'big' stuff. She is already very skilled, as you know, so it will be more of a physiological development, with her trying to open up to more and more people, and learning to really trust again. But again, it is true that she is way less troubled than in Canon. Or rather, she has some very different issues than in Canon.

It can maybe also be because I have decided to focus more on the romance aspect in this story, than I have done in 'Shoton of Konoha'. Because of that, there is a little less problems :) Hope that answered your questions.

**Greatness Alone:**I'm glad you like the characters; especially Hinata and Kiba. I used some time to get them to be a bit different, since they are friends with Naruto, but not over OC. So I'm glad you think so.

I am planning on giving Kiba some new moves, but it is a bit hard to make new ones up. He doesn't really use ninjutsu, so I will have to come up with new taijutsu moves, which fit him and Akamaru. I will figure something out.

**Chapter 4:** Her Team

* * *

_Naruto cursed, "she must've casted a genjutsu on us while we were taking the break." She turned to see both of her friends looking at her expectantly._

"_What?"_

"_Well, it's usually you that comes up with plans and such" Kiba stated_

"_Auf, Auf", Akamaru barkingly agreed._

_Naruto looked at Hinata who shrugged lightly, "He's kinda right."_

_She sighed, "Ok, give me a minute." She thought for a minute or so, going through many different scenarios. Finally she came to a plan she thought they could complete fast._

"_Ok, listen up", she said – but it wasn't really needed, as she already had her teammates attention -, "First, I will track her down with my clones. She will surely dispel it, causing its memories to return to me. We go to where it was, and from there Kiba and Akamaru should be able to track them down. But since her scent is sure to be spread around where she is hiding, you two", she nodded at the Inuzuka heir and his partner, "will only be able to lead us to a general area. That's when Hinata comes into the picture. We will need your Byakugan to find the precise location of Kurenai-sensei."_

"_Sounds good to me", Kiba said as he and Hinata nodded satisfied with the plan._

_Naruto med the cross-handed seal again, "_Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_"_

_A few hundred clones appeared, quickly scattering through the wooden area. It didn't take long for them to find Kurenai. The genin of Team 8 quickly made their way there, used the Inuzuka nose to find their sensei's general area, and used the Hyuuga's Byakugan to find her._

_Kurenai blinked a few times, "That was fast." The three genin looked at her, waiting for a judgment. She nodded, "You pass. From tomorrow Team 8 will be ready to take on missions!"_

_Kiba burst out with cheers, taking Naruto by the hands and dancing with her. She blushed hard, and when he found out what he had done, so did he. But lucky for the two, the awkward situation was interrupted by Kiba's growling stomach._

_Naruto sighed and shook her head with a smile, "some things never changed, do they?" Kiba didn't have any answers, and just scratched his head embarrassedly._

* * *

Another beautiful day was dawning in the village of Konoha. It was only the sun's first light that had made it to the barely awakening village. The shinobi who had been on guard duty in the earliest hours were being replaced with well-rested comrades, and the bakeries across the village were starting up. Everyone else was still asleep… or almost everybody.

On top of her apartment building, in the outskirts of the majestic village, was an Uzumaki Naruto sitting watching the sunrise from her seat on the small water-tower. It was a rather normal routine for her – she had learned very young that sleeping in could cost your life…

She sighed to herself, as she brought her knees up to her chin, and rested her head upon them. She looked over the first rays of sun making their way over the forest. Normally these early hours would mean that she had nothing to think about, and could, for a change, just enjoy the moments. Given, she has had a lot more of those in the last year, after she had become truly close friends with two certain heirs. But back to the present – where she normally just would let her mind rest and get ready for the day, this morning she already had a million thoughts running through her head.

Without even noticing before it was too late, she had let her guard down again. This was something that had happened more and more often lately; first with Konohamaru, and yesterday at their team training slash test… She didn't know what to make of it. Both Kurenai and Konohamaru seemed nice, but she had been hurt by 'nice' people before. Her defense against that was beginning to crack, slowly but surely, and again she didn't know what to make of it. On one hand, she wished she could just drop the act and how the world her true self instead of the cold exterior. But she couldn't do that because of _it_ being sealed inside her. Most people were so narrow-minded… She didn't see people throwing sealing scrolls around like the kunai that was sealed inside them, so why did they expect her to suddenly explode in blind fury and rage? Hell, if she was the fox, she would've probably already razed the village to the ground, with how many treated her. But it was clear that they would never take the first step… so maybe, just maybe, should she let her armor crumble slowly, and just let herself feel and react. Unlike when she was little, she had people she could rely on now.

There was Hinata, 'Her Royal Shyness', who may seem a bit drawn back, but she knew had a heart of a lioness. And of course Kiba… Kiba the loudest, most caring boy she had ever known, whom she didn't really know how she felt about: was she really falling for him, or was this the feelings you have for your best friends? Then there was her new sensei, Yuhi Kurenai. While Naruto hadn't known her for a long time, hell she had only known her for a day, it seemed like she truly wanted the best for _her_, and didn't plan on giving her the most dangerous jobs just to get herself killed. But what bothered her was that she didn't know. Ever since she had been told about the Kyuubi she had had a need to know what was going on – no matter how small it was. And she didn't know why her new sensei was so nice to her. She didn't like it. Of course there was also the Sandaime Hokage's grandson, Konohamaru. She smiled as she remembered the little guy whom had called boss. She had looked in on him after their little training-session, and he actually seemed like her was working.

Yes, if she opened up and got hurt, she had people she could fall back on.

She snorted to herself: here she had just become a shinobi, a person who was considered a tool, and shouldn't feel anything, and _now_ of all times did she think about this. She looked at the sun. It was well over the horizon, meaning she had sat here and thought for a while now. She got up and stretched, and dusted off her apron skirt. Kurenai had told them to be there by ten, so they had a little time before the mission assignment. Naruto was pretty sure it was more training, but what kind of training was a mystery to her. She jumped off the small tower and made her way towards the training grounds.

* * *

Naruto came with both Kiba and Hinata, whom she had met on the way there, and stopped at the end of the forest road, and the start of Training Field 27. Now that she didn't have the threat of failing her genin exams hanging over her, she actually observed the training grounds. It was a pretty standard Konoha training ground, with a river running through it, a cliff, lot's of tree's, a field of grass, and three stumped tree's for tai- and shurikenjutsu practice. It had places to train in all the aspects of the shinobi arts.

"Good to see you're all here on time," the jounin sensei of Team 8 called out, as she appeared in the middle of the field. Her three new charged quickly ran over in front of her, ready to be instructed. She nodded satisfied at them, "punctuality is important for what we do… or rather; being too late can be fatal."

Akamaru whimpered a little, but otherwise the team didn't react, just nodding at their new sensei. They knew all about it, and had thought being shinobi through. Hinata and Kiba had of course learned it from their clans, Hinata maybe a bit harsher, from an early age. As the heir, and being in the head family of the clan, they were expected to be shinobi and set a standard for the rest of the clan. Naruto on the other hand hadn't had anyone teaching it to her – the academy teacher had even send her out from the class when they had talked about it – but she had learned from real life experiences. She had been threatened on her life more times than she could count now, and more than a few had tried to act on the threats, but to no avail. Anyway, she had learned that no matter what, her life would be in danger, so why not learn to defend herself? Her ambitions of being a kunoichi had only sky-rocketed even more when she had learned about her mother.

Back to the present, Kurenai couldn't help but feel satisfied with her team: they all seemed to have resolved the issue. "Good, well let's get started", she said smiling.

"So, what are we going to do today, sensei?" it came loudly from the dog-boy, followed by a couple of happy barks

"Kiba-kun, if you would wait one second, I think Kurenai-sensei will explain," Hinata said quietly to her male teammate

"Sorry," he said just the slightest embarrassed, "I'm just so psyched today. We're finally going to be a real team and do missions and all!"

"Thank you, Hinata", Kurenai said with approval, "I can see we will have to work with your rashness Kiba. For what we're going to do today: I think we will work on the psychical aspect of being a shinobi." She saw the confounded look on Kiba's face and sighed mentally: why was it always the boys who were less fortunate knowledge wise? Luckily for her Naruto saved her the explanation

"So, we need to… train? Like, running laps and so on?" Naruto asked

"Exactly" Kurenai nodded

"THE HELL! I thought we were going to, you know, _train_. Not do what we have done the last five years at the Academy", Kiba shouted irate.

"That may very well be, but you got to remember that everything starts at the basics. If you have a good foundation, then it will be much easier to do the rest. And one of the most basic things about being shinobi is to be in good shape. What I discovered yesterday that you, Kiba, and you, Hinata, have stamina levels with what you normally see in a mid-level chunin. I don't say that that isn't good, but we can do better – and we will." As Kurenai explained, Kiba's face contracted more and more into a frown, but he finally sighed resignedly.

"Ano, Kurenai-sensei," the Hyuuga princess asked in her quiet, but no less confident, voice, and catching the red-eyed jounin's attention. "If you don't mind me asking, what level is Naruto-kun's stamina on?"

"Naruto has as much, if not more, stamina as a seasoned chunin."

Both of Naruto's teammates watched her with wide eyes as they heard how far ahead she was of them in that aspect. She shrugged, "I'm an Uzumaki. Since stamina is greatly influences by one's Life Force, the Uzumaki have always been gifted in their stamina levels".

"Now that we have that out of the way," Kurenai said, again gaining the attention of her pupil, "How many laps did you do at the academy?"

"The best of us always did sixty laps", Kiba answered with Naruto and Hinata nodding in agreement

"Good, then I want you two," she pointed at the Inuzuka and Hyuuga heir's, "to do six-hundred laps." Kiba's jaw hit the ground, and Hinata's all-seeing eyes widened.

It only took Kiba a few seconds to get his jaw up and running again. "WHAT! You can't be serious!"

"What, don't think you can handle it, Kiba? Your _female _teammates don't seem to have a problem with it," she replied with a knowing smirk. Almost immediately posture and attitude changed. While Kiba had a lot more respect for girls – and kunoichi to that extend – than many other boys in his age group, hell in all age groups, he was still a thirteen year old boy: He didn't want to be worse than a girl. She chuckled at the response, but quickly got serious, "Starting today you are all shinobi, so don't expect me to go easy on you. I am here to train and guide you for what you can meet outside the gates of this village, and I'm not going to sugarcoat it for you; it's not always pretty." She saw their just slightly unsettled faces, and tried to give them an assuring smile, "but nothing of that now. You just graduated, and we probably won't be send out of the village for a little while", she said, trying very hard to ignore Kiba and Akamaru's whines.

"Ok, Naruto, I want you to run eight hundred laps if you can. I know it's much, but I want to see how much you can do with that Uzumaki stamina of yours. Now go," she said motioning to the field. Kiba was about to set Akamaru down beside Kurenai, "What are you doing, Kiba?"

"Erm, putting Akamaru down so I can do the laps?" he answered, not exactly sure of what he had done wrong

"Why? Akamaru is also a part of this team, so he will also be doing the laps," in contrast to his human friends, Akamaru seemed delighted with the prospect of running around in circles. '_Figures_' Kiba thought with a small smile on his lips.

"Come on then," Kiba called on Akamaru, and ran to the edge of the field and joined his teammates.

The first hundred-and-fifty lap wasn't any problem for Hinata and Kiba, but after that they began slowing down, Hinata a bit before Kiba. But they kept going, not wanting to let their sensei down on the first day. Naruto only began to slow down around the five-hundred mark, but only began to feel it around the six-hundredth lap. Akamaru on the other hand didn't slow down one bit – he was made for running after all – and just jumped and barked happily at the exercise, much to the irritation of the three genin. Because of the difference in the speed of their slowing down, they finished roughly at the same time, forty-five minutes after they started, where-after they all collapsed on the grass. Even as exhausted as they were, Hinata and Kiba still looked very impressively at their teammate: She had done two-hundred laps more than them, and still finished at the same time.

"Good job. That was pretty impressive, since, from what you tell me, you normally only run a tenth of that. I'm impressed," Kurenai praised her genin. They were to winded to reply, so they settled with content smiles. After only three minutes the redheaded girl was breathing normally. Kurenai raised her eyebrow; she had seen it the day before, but she was still impressed. She was pretty sure it was because of the fox – not that it mattered to her. She was sure she could find some very good use for that. After a break of about ten minutes, Kurenai decided it was time to start again.

"Ok, break's over," she called out, and the three genin got up, with a few complaints from Kiba. Another sensei would maybe be annoyed by it, but she had a feeling Kiba didn't mean harm by it… and even if he did, she could've gotten worse. She hid those thoughts away for another time and continued, "now I want you to go to the tree posts and hit, with each hand, three-hundred times, and kick, with each leg, two-hundred-and-fifty times."

"Erm, Kurenai-sensei," Naruto asked a little uncomfortable, which was very unlike her, making both of her long-time friends look at her, "do you want us to go full-out?"

"Of course," the jounin sensei answered with a frown. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen Naruto's taijutsu, and further that line, her strength, since she had been fighting with kenjutsu the day before. She wondered how strong the girl could be – she could see on her that she had trained, but how strong she was, she had no idea. But there were limits… maybe… ok, now she was curious.

The genin of Team 8 made their way over to the posts. Hinata and Kiba began right away, Hinata hitting with her palm, and Kiba half swiping instead of hitting. Naruto on the other hand, for the first time since Kurenai had met the girl, hesitated a bit. She sighed dejectedly, drew her hand back, and punched the post. The tree creaked under her punch, and a small, but noticeable shockwave was created. Kurenai didn't even pay attention to the shockwave, she was more interested in the creaking; the posts around the training grounds was specially made for this kind of practice, having been infused with a lot of chakra and… she wasn't sure, but it should take at _least_ chunin strength to make it creak. Just how many surprises did this girl have up her sleeve?

Hinata and Kiba looked just as surprised; they had no idea she was this strong. Kurenai frowned, "Sorry I'm asking, but you said you have known each other for a long time, right?"

"Yeah, that's right sensei" it came from Kiba

"Auf, Auf"

"Haven't you trained together then?" she asked, trying to get to the bottom of the small mystery.

"Not much. We have trained together in the stuff we learned at the Academy, but we have always trained for ourselves," Hinata answered

'_So that explains it.'_ She sighed_ 'I guess I have to make them show each other their abilities, so they can all react accordingly when we finally get a mission with enemies'_, Kurenai thought. She nodded to the three genin, who all had stopped their exercise to give their new sensei their full attention. "Ok then. Carry on," it came from Kurenai.

That lasted another forty-five minutes, and Kurenai called another small break, only a minute or so to catch their breaths, before they went on to the Hokage Tower to get their first mission. Now, the plan was that they should be able to train for the whole duration of these two hours, and then go straight over to the Hokage to get their mission. But it _was_ their first day, so she could understand that they couldn't do that right away.

* * *

The civilians they passed on their way had very varied reactions on the newly formed genin team varied. Hinata's all-seeing eyes, and her unmarked forehead, proved her heritage to the main family of one of the oldest and most powerful clans in the village. People who knew who she was went out of their way to greet her, and those who didn't at least gave her a respectful nod.

Kiba's marked cheeks, and his very happy ninken, marked him as an Inuzuka. People reacted much less than they did towards Hinata, but he did get the occasional nod, and all smiled politely to him. They all knew who the Inuzuka were; while they didn't have the power, or fame, of the Hyuuga clan, they were very respected inside the village, being because of them that they had caught many of their criminals, and being able to keep Konoha's name very clean… or much more clean than if they hadn't been a part of the village.

And then in the complete other spectrum than Hinata, there were Naruto. Most of the people passing them went a large circle around her, not even looking at her. The ones who did got a look that Kurenai only could call cold. It didn't show any emotion at all, but just say 'do you really wish to get hospitalized for a few months?' Of course now Kurenai know that this was an act, a defensive shield, the girl had developed. It could've been worse… the girl could've been in complete denial, just trying to do anything to get attention. Then again, if she hadn't made friends with Hinata and Kiba, she might be that way. Or the complete opposite: that it wasn't a shield, but that she truly didn't care for anyone. All in all, the girl had turned out rather well. Though it would be good if she could eventually drop the shield, and show the whole village what they have missed out on; a truly incredible and caring person.

Soon enough they reached the Hokage Tower. Kurenai was mostly used to go straight to the Hokage's office to get a mission – most B and A ranks were given there because of the information and secrecy of them –, but that wasn't where they were going today. They had to go to the mission office, a place she hadn't been in years. They soon reached the wooden door, knocked on the door, and went in when they heard the voice of their Hokage calling 'come in'.

Kurenai went in with her three students' right behind her. They stopped in the middle of the room, right in front of the Hokage and the other mission deflationists'

"Team 8 reporting for mission assignment," she reported formally to her superior. While most of her attention was directed at the old Hokage, she couldn't miss that her team beamed with pride at being a team, some less than others though. Kiba was the most obvious, straitening his posture with pride, and puffing his chest a little bit, and Hinata's head angled higher and her shoulders went back. Naruto's signs were more subtle, but a jounin like herself could see them; the mask she wore that didn't show many emotions, slipped just the slightest, as her eyes shone with pride, and her mouth twitched into a fast smile, before she snapped back. Kurenai frowned mentally; she really hoped she could help Naruto come out of her shell. But not now, now they had to get a mission.

"You're just in time, Yuhi Kurenai," the Hokage said. "We still have a few D-rank missions left." Kurenai inclined her head respectfully as the old man shuffled through a stack of papers on his desk. "There we are," he said, pulling one out. "I need you to report to Tanaka Chiyoko at Tanaka Bakery in the eastern part of the village. She broke her arm, and her family is away on a journey, so she will need your help with deliveries and baking." There was an awkward silence, only to be broken by Kiba a few seconds later

"What? That isn't a mission! That's just doing chores for this Chiyoko lady!"

"Auf, Auf, Auf!"

Kurenai sighed; she should've seen this coming. Again, Naruto came first and explained.

"Kiba, we're only newly graduated genin, no matter how awesome you think you are, so of course we aren't going to get bigger missions. What did you think we were going to do? Rescue a princess? Or perhaps escort a noble?" Naruto asked. Kiba didn't answer, settling with looking down in the ground. Evidentially he did think so. Naruto facepalmed and sighed at her crush's antics, Hinata just settling with a headshake with a smile.

"We accept the mission," Kurenai said and accepted the mission papers. They didn't linger any longer, and went out the way that they had entered, and made their way out of the building. As they went down the stairs, Kurenai decided to give a further explanation than Naruto had given.

"As a new genin team," she began before Kiba had the chance to rebel again, "You will be assigned D-rank missions until you have completed a good number of them." She specifically avoided saying how many, because she wanted to have the option of delaying their first C-rank mission until she was sure they were ready. "D-rank missions," she continued, "are judged to be little or no threat, and should rarely, if ever, involve travel beyond the outer walls of Konoha. They are tasks that still need doing, will give you all an opportunity to practice working together, and will supply you with a little pocket money when you are done."

She paused when they were out on the street, making sure that all of her students were with her. She then stepped up the pace and made way towards the bakery in the eastern part of the village. It was here that most of the civilians lived – not to say that they didn't live anywhere else – so it was a perfect place for a bakery. Most shinobi doesn't have time to go to the bakery, just settling for what they can grab in the passing.

Soon enough they were at their destination. But the store itself was closed, so they walked around the building and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" an elderly female voice called through an open window on the first floor

Kurenai looked up. "We're shinobi regarding your mission request!" she half yelled back.

"Ok then. Just wait a minute, and I'll be down there."

It took her about three minutes to get down and open the door. She was an elder lady in her fifties, her grey hair tied up in a bun, and wearing a traditional baking uniform. Just as she opened the door she smiled at Kurenai, even brighter when she saw Hinata, a member of the Hyuuga clan. But all that was ruined when she saw _that_ kid.

"What is _she_ doing here?" Chiyoko asked in disgust, glaring and pointing at Naruto. To Kiba's and Hinata's surprise, Naruto decided to glare back, and answered before Kurenai could.

"_I_ am here because I am a shinobi of Konoha, and you asked Konoha to help you. Our mission today is to help you with your shop and deliveries. If you don't need help, I'm sure that the Hokage wouldn't mind throwing away this mission, since it's clearly not needed," she said with a strained voice. Chiyoko and Naruto stood like that for half a minute, just looking each other straight in the eye. Finally the old lady release the stare

"Very well. Step inside and I will show you to your assignments. But keep the dog outside! I don't want any of my customers finding any part of a dog in their food!" Kiba would glare at the lady, but she had already gone inside.

"I don't like that lady," Kiba grumbled as he put Akamaru down on the ground. The puppy put its best weapon to use right away: whimpering while looking at his owner with puppy eyes. "I'm sorry Akamaru, but this is a mission."

"If it helps you, I don't like her either," it came harshly from Naruto. She had endured this for thirteen years now, but she could feel she was about to hit her limit. Enough was enough. She sighed as the team went inside after the lady baker.

Almost immediately after starting, Kiba was banned from making _any_ food, after he somehow blew up a lump of dough – four times. He had no idea how he did it, and no one else could figure out what, so he settled with brining the ingredients', leaving the two girls of the team to the baking.

"This is taking too long!" it finally came from Naruto. She was just as bored as the other two with this mission. She put her hands into the seal of one of her family's secret jutsu, "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_" Six additional Naruto's appeared in the large kitchen, each starting on their own cake, bread, or Danish pastry.

Kurenai, who had been standing in the corner supervising, much to the annoyance of Kiba, quirked her eyebrow in interest. "Naruto," she said puzzled, "can they all work independently?" she asked. Bunshin were usually only capable of limited thought, following simple and straightforward commands. Making several different pastries, breads and so on wasn't exactly simple stuff.

Naruto shrugged while kneading the dough in front of her, "Why shouldn't they?" Kurenai wasn't sure how to answer that. Fortunate for her, Naruto decided to explain a bit more. "The _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_ isn't as other bunshin jutsu. You split up your chakra accordingly to how many clones you want, and when you have trained enough, how much chakra they have. They also get a kind of consciousness, but I won't tell how – it's a clan secret -, so they can 'think' for themselves. That is how," she finished, still working on her pastry.

Kurenai would be lying if she said that she didn't want to know exactly _how_ they got this 'consciousness', but, as Naruto had said, it was a clan secret. She had learned a few clan secrets in her time, and understood why they were a secret: if they spread around freely in the village, they would be much easier for rivaling villages to gain them. The _Kirigakure no Jutsu_ was a perfect example of it; it had been a just of Kiri, but had been easily obtained from observing it so many times in ordinary shinobi.

After baking enough bread, buns and pastry to last for the whole day, only set back by the old lady yelling at Naruto for no reason at all, it was time to do the deliveries and help in the store. It was decided that Kiba and Naruto would do the deliveries, since, according to the owner, they were faster than her. But they knew it was because she wanted the Hyuuga heiress in the store, and because she just wanted to get rid of Naruto as fast as possible.

As Naruto had picked up her share of the deliveries, she tripped over something, and was about to come crashing down. Luckily, or unluckily depending how you see it, Kiba was there catching her. For just a second she got lost in those deep hazel eyes. All the confusing thoughts about him from this morning came rushing back.

"Are you all right?" Kiba asked with a smile as she picked herself up.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Let's get these deliveries done fast, huh?" She answered, trying to get away from him as fast as possible

"Erm, ok," the newly instate Inuzuka heir said a little confused.

As she ran down the street with the small delivery boxes, Naruto again thought about what to do with Kiba, and about being a kunoichi. She had heard about more than a few kunoichi who had stopped being shinobi because of their boyfriends, or because they got pregnant – not that she had to worry about that for years -, but if she got a boyfriend, they would do _it_ eventually. Could she really still be a kunoichi, and become the Hokage, if she got entangled in some difficult romance? To become the Hokage and protect those dear to her was her first priority. But again, Kiba was so sweet and considering. She just had to take a look at what she wore to confirm that – he had been the only one to give her a gift, other than the Hokage. And he was always there when she needed it.

She stopped the thoughts momentarily when she arrived at the first house she had to deliver to. She took a deep breath and brought a smile on her lips, and knocked on the door. It wasn't long before a man in his thirties opened the door,

"What have we he-", he started with a cheer voice, but it changed as soon as he saw that it was the 'Kyuubi girl' that was standing in front of his door. "What do you want?" he asked with a gruff voice.

Naruto kept the act up. If she ever wanted to be treated nice, she had to be the better person. Even if it was hard to ignore the hard and hateful glare he was giving her. She ignored it, "Chiyoko-no-basan has broken her arm and needed help in her store. I'm here with her delivery."

He looked suspicious at her, "How do I know you haven't done anything to it?"

"Look, I'm a shinobi of Konoha. If anything is wrong with it, then complain to Chiyoko, and she can complain to the mission office. But right now I have other deliveries to make. Have a good day," she said, really trying to be friendly. He accepted the box with different breads in it, and slammed the door right in front of her, without saying anything else.

"You have a good day too, Naruto," she muttered to herself a little annoyed and continued down the road. The next couple of deliveries didn't happen much differently, and at last she just knocked on the door, shoved the package at the receiver saying 'this is from Chiyoko-no-basan. She has broken her arms, and I'm doing the deliveries. Have a good day', and ran away before they could see who she was. She was getting rather annoyed, so much that it even showed a bit. She still couldn't believe that they were mad at her for something that happened the day she was born, and now they didn't even gave her a chance when she was friendly with them. Who needs the villagers anyway? She had her friends, her family. She didn't need anyone else than them.

When she returned to the house, Kiba was already back with Akamaru, and the Hinata was done in the store, having been there for the whole duration of lunch hour. With deliveries made, the last tasks for their mission were complete. The old bakery owner took her time to thank them all, even going so far to look Naruto I the eyes, without any glare, which surprised and impressed the newly promoted genin. Ok, maybe she had a chance with the villagers. Just maybe.

"Good work, all three of you," Kurenai said after they had made their goodbyes. "That was much quicker than I had thought it would take. Good work using your Kage Bunshin like that."

As Team 8 made their way back towards the village center, Kurenai noticed the sun low on the horizon. Even if it had been quicker than she had thought, the whole thing with baking and deliver all the things had taken time. If she should guess, she would say it was around 3 p.m. "At this point," she said gaining the attention of her cute little genin, "there won't be any more missions for genin to do. But if we get together a little earlier tomorrow, I'd say about two or three hours, we should be able to do two missions a day, depending on the missions of course. What do you say to that?"

"Of course we will do it! Right, Akamaru?" Kiba said loudly.

"Auf, Auf!" the white Inuzuka puppy yelped happily.

"I agree. It wouldn't hurt to make some more money," Naruto said. '_Kami knows I need it now that I don't get any money from the Hokage anymore,'_ she finished in her thoughts. She didn't need her team to know her financial problems.

"I don't think father would mind moving my clan training to another time, if it's for doing missions," Hinata said.

Kurenai nodded, very pleased with her team. She had chosen well – they were serious about being shinobi, not putting it on hold for anything else. "Good. Then meet me at our training ground tomorrow at 7:30 a.m."

Everyone nodded. She smiled at her students and pulled out a few slips of paper, "I have had these lying around forever, but since I know how much you like Ichiraku's, I thought I would give them to you for a job well done." She handed it to them, one to each. It was some discount tickets to Ichiraku Ramen. They all smiled, Hinata going so far as bowing. She smiled back at them, "Now, don't think this is will be an everyday event. You already get paid for the mission." They nodded again, "Good. Hinata, Kiba, you can go ahead. I need to talk to Naruto."

The two heirs' looked at their redheaded friend. She nodded at them, and they went away. She turned her attention to her sensei, "What do you need to talk about, Kurenai-sensei?"

"Well, first I want to ask you if you know why you're so strong. There isn't any drawbacks, is there? If there is, I need to know for the team… and for you," the jounin sensei answered.

Naruto was taken aback by the last part. She hadn't really had any grownups other than the Sandaime Hokage caring about her. Sure, Iruka-sensei from the Academy had helped her once in a while, but he couldn't use all his time on her alone. He was the teacher for the whole class, after all. But now… now she seemed to have a sensei that actually cared about her, and it was her job to only teach her and her two friends. She smiled back at the jounin, something she hadn't done to anyone else than her friends in a long time.

"Yes, I know why," Naruto answered with a smile, "it's normal for someone… someone like me."

"You mean…" Kurenai started, not sure how to approach the subject with the girl.

The Uzumaki heiress looked around to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation. "Yes, I mean as a jinchuuriki. Both my mother and Uzumaki Mito-sama was also incredible strong physically."

"Uzumaki Mito-sama? You mean Shodai Hokage-sama's wife?" she asked. It wasn't common knowledge who the jinchuuriki was… before Naruto.

"Yes, she was the first jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. Anyway, I am strong because my muscle fibers are much more compact than normal persons, three times as compact actually. My muscles aren't larger or anything, they're just using the space most optimal."

"Can I ask why you aren't using it to the fullest? Why go with kenjutsu?" Kurenai inquired.

"Why aren't you using ninjutsu? It's a personal preference," Naruto stated. Kurenai couldn't disagree – she knew with her chakra control and level she could be a rather good ninjutsu user. She just preferred genjutsu.

"Good point."

"Was there anything else?" Naruto asked tentatively

"No, that was it. You can go. See you tomorrow," she finished with a smile.

Naruto returned the smile, turned around, and began walking in the direction her friends had gone. But she had only gone a few steps before stopped up. She bit her lip in thought, and turned around to face her new sensei again, "Kurenai-sensei?"

"What is it?" the older woman asked.

Naruto took a deep breath, "Why are you so nice to me?"

Kurenai hadn't expected that kind of question. She didn't let it show though – she wasn't a jounin for nothing. She sincerely smiled at the girl, "I'm not as narrow-minded as many in the village. I know that you're you, and not it. And…"

"And?" Naruto inquired

"And I guess I kind of own it to your mother and father. Not to say that I wouldn't be nice to you if I didn't own your parents," she said and sat down on a bench nearby. The younger Uzumaki followed and sat beside her.

"You knew my father? My parents?"

Kurenai looked down on the girl, "Yes I did. And before you ask, I can't tell you who your father is. The Sandaime Hokage's law forbids me."

"I wasn't going to ask," Naruto stated sincerely.

Kurenai frowned at the girl, "You weren't?"

The Uzumaki heiress leaned back into the bench and looked up in the afternoon sky. "It's true; I would give much to know who my father was. But both my mother and Sandaime-ojiisan said that I wasn't ready. And it isn't as I don't know _some_ things about him. I know that he was powerful; else he wouldn't have all those enemies that I need to be protected from. And I know he loved me," she said with the biggest smile on her face.

Kurenai would be lying if she said she wasn't surprised. This was the so-called 'Ice Princess of Konoha', and she was here in public, actually showing her feelings.

Naruto turned towards her sensei. "But all that still doesn't explain why you own them," she finished with a raised eyebrow.

"When I was a student in the Academy," Kurenai started explaining, "I was teased because of my eyes being different. I was really down for a time; I lacked the self-confidence that I have now, and didn't really trust myself. But your mother, she was about seven years older, and already a chunin, helped me. She said that _she_ got teased because of her red hair, but it was that hair that brought her together with your father. She told me to embrace my uniqueness. It is because of her that I am who I am today." She then turned towards Naruto again with a serious expression on her face, "But I want you to know, right here and now, that it wasn't out of obligation to her that I took you as my student. I took you as my student because of your talent, not your heritage."

Naruto nodded thought fully, "Thank you for sharing that with me, sensei. I have gotten some things to think about."

"Glad I could help," she answered with a smile. "Now, run along with your friends. You wouldn't want your ramen to get cold, would you now?"

Naruto got up and bowed to her sensei, "No I wouldn't. Thank you, Kurenai-sensei." And with that she ran along, leaving a smiling Kurenai sitting on the bench.

* * *

**Authors Note:** And the fourth chapter is done! I hope you like it :). I have tried to show the 'faults' Naruto has – the faults this story will try to resolve. Now, I know there wasn't much Kiba/Fem!Naruto in this, and the real deal will probably first happen in a few chapters. What I am trying to show is that Naruto has this internal conflict; can she be a great kunoichi, and still have Kiba? Or does she have to choose between the two things?

I actually had some trouble with this chapter. As I said, I wanted to present Naruto's faults, but I didn't know how to do it. Also, I knew this would be something like 'first mission', and nothing would happen, but then again, _something_ has to happen. But when I first got started, the words just flowed out of me, and down on the, erh, computer, I guess.

Now, I want to remind you all that I have _never_ written romance before, so it might not be that great. I will of course try my best, but I will be happy to receive any and all advice that you may have :)

To other matters: I have also gotten a PM about Hinata calling Naruto 'kun', even with Naruto being female in this story. 'Kun' can also be used between two females if they're very good friends, which Hinata and Naruto are in this story. Taken from Wikipedia: 'Although _kun_ is generally used for boys, it is not a hard rule. For example, kun can be used to name a close personal friend or family member of either gender.'

And I want to remind you all that I have vacation from… everything, so I _might_ not update often, it could be a week, or it could be a month. I'm going to write when I feel inspired and feel like it for now :) Hope you will keep up with me :p

Last, but by no means least, a friend of mine (at least one I consider a friend), Cluelessness, has been so awesome to draw a headshot of Team 8, minus Akamaru and Kurenai. I think it's rather cool. Here is the link: #/d54ixav

Until next time.

**Shurikenjutsu - Literally meaning "sword hidden in the hand techniques": **Shurikenjutsu pertains to techniques that entail the throwing of shuriken, kunai, senbon or any other of a number of bladed, hand-held weapons. Shurikenjutsu can be used in combination with taijutsu, ninjutsu and/or chakra flow in order to create more devastating techniques.

**Kirigakure no Jutsu - Hiding in Mist Technique:** This displacement technique is a specialty of the ninja from Kirigakure, where one causes a mist to spring forth by lifting up some water from either a pre-existing source or expelled from their mouth, then goes in and out of sight at will from within the pearly-white realm. The mist's thickness is controlled by the amount of chakra kneaded into it. It can't fool the Byakugan, but, due to the mist being created with the user's chakra, any Sharingan and Rinnegan-user will see the mist colored by their opponent's chakra, which will effectively hide the user from the dojutsu.


	5. Her Shadow

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Roboguy45****:** I honestly don't think that Kushina was the heir of the Uzumaki clan. In my opinion, I don't think they would send their heir to another village – even a village they have such a close alliance with. It is true that they send both Kushina and Mito, both of whom were very special in their own ways, but there is a limit.

Some may say that it's the same thing with Kiba and Naruto, with both of them being heirs, but I wouldn't say so. There is a big difference with sending your heir to another village, and to marry your heir to another clan in the same village. Anyway, I don't think Kushina was the heir… but with Naruto being the last known and loyal Uzumaki, she get's the title of heiress.

**Pain1516:** Thanks for the review :) Don't worry, I didn't take it as bashing/flaming, it was just a couple of questions.

For Naruto not having figured out that the Yondaime Hokage was her father; the way I see it, is that she is in a kind of denial. She wouldn't think that Minato would seal the fox into his own daughter. I will get more into detail as the story goes on. She will find out that the Yondaime is her father, just before the chunin exams I think.

For the Academy Exam: In the manga/anime you really only see the Henge no Jutsu, nothing else. But it is true that many have Henge, Bunshin, and Kawarimi. I wouldn't say that it was a 'mistake' that I chose Shunshin no Jutsu, I just thought it would fit the story.

About Naruto not getting mad at Kurenai about her keeping her father a secret: As you said yourself; Naruto is smart. And she has had a lot of time to think about it. She understands the law the Sandaime has created to protect her. If she should be mad at anyone, I would say it should be the old man, since it's him that keeps the law in place.

As for Kiba's element Gatsuuga; I have already thought about it :) But you will have to keep reading to find out which element.

**Chapter 5: **Her Shadow

* * *

_The Uzumaki heiress leaned back into the bench and looked up in the afternoon sky. "It's true; I would give much to know who my father was. But both my mother and Sandaime-ojiisan said that I wasn't ready. And it isn't as I don't know some things about him. I know that he was powerful; else he wouldn't have all those enemies that I need to be protected from. And I know he loved me," she said with the biggest smile on her face. _

_Kurenai would be lying if she said she wasn't surprised. This was the so-called 'Ice Princess of Konoha', and she was here in public, actually showing her feelings._

_Naruto turned towards her sensei. "But all that still doesn't explain why you own them," she finished with a raised eyebrow._

"_When I was a student in the Academy," Kurenai started explaining, "I was teased because of my eyes being different. I was really down for a time; I lacked the self-confidence that I have now, and didn't really trust myself. But your mother, she was about seven years older, and already a chunin, helped me. She said that she got teased because of her red hair, but it was that hair that brought her together with your father. She told me to embrace my uniqueness. It is because of her that I am who I am today." She then turned towards Naruto again with a serious expression on her face, "But I want you to know, right here and now, that it wasn't out of obligation to her that I took you as my student. I took you as my student because of your talent, not your heritage."_

_Naruto nodded thought fully, "Thank you for sharing that with me, sensei. I have gotten some things to think about."_

"_Glad I could help," she answered with a smile. "Now, run along with your friends. You wouldn't want your ramen to get cold, would you now?"_

_Naruto got up and bowed to her sensei, "No I wouldn't. Thank you, Kurenai-sensei." And with that she ran along, leaving a smiling Kurenai sitting on the bench._

* * *

The sensei of Team 8, Yuhi Kurenai, was standing in the Hokage's office, in front of the old man, while he read through some papers. It was fairly early; the clock had only just made it past 7:00. Kurenai had requested this so it wouldn't interfere with her team's training regime. The reason she was in a meeting with her superior was a progress report. As far as she knew, her team had made the most progress – and missions – of the three graduated teams of this year.

In the few weeks that she had been put in charge of the newly formed Team 8, the team had improved with leaps and bounds. As Kurenai had said, she had focused on the physical aspect of being a shinobi first – it had paid off. The three genins stamina had increased exponentially during the training; Kiba and Hinata, alongside Akamaru, now being able to run about a thousand laps around their training field, and still be fairly ok. Naruto had improved even more, now being able to run thirteen-hundred laps. Since both Kiba and Hinata's stamina had improved, they normally had to wait a few minutes while Naruto finished her laps. Not that they minded that.

All three of them had also increased their number of punches/slashes/slaps from three-hundred times to five-hundred times. Both Hinata and Kiba bodies adapted to the training; Kiba's nails getting tougher for not to crack when he sliced, and Hinata began forming some harder skin on her palms – which she already had some of. But Naruto… nothing had happened to her hands, even though it was her that hit the hardest, and therefore should had the most hard tissue from her healed hands.

- Flashback training with Team 8 -

"_That's enough for today," it came from Kurenai. "We still need to do the missions, so stop and come here to get something to drink."_

_Hinata, Kiba, and Naruto all stopped their punches on their respective log – Naruto's looking a little worse for wear than the others. The three genin gratefully accepted the water and sat down. _

_Kurenai sat down beside them, "Now that we have been doing this for two weeks, I want to see your progress."_

"_Nani?" Kiba looked confused at her – big chocker there. "Sensei, haven't you just seen our progress?"_

"_Well, yes," she answered, confusing the Inuzuka heir even more. "But what I'm talking about is your bodies changing."_

_Kiba scoffed and blushed. "No offence sensei, but I already have had THAT talk with my mother," he shivered, "a very, very, very long and disturbing talk, I don't think I'll ever forget."_

_At first Hinata had been oblivious to what her male teammate was referring to, but she soon found out. She blushed so hard, it was wonder she still had blood going out to all her organs. Naruto coughed hard, trying to mask her amusement. She could just see Tsume-sama, the fiercest lady currently in Konoha, giving her little and only boy 'the talk'. Kurenai laughed lightly, a rare thing that had become more and more common since she had gotten her team, and patted Kiba on the shoulder. _

"_Not that kind of talk. Let me explain," she got up from her seat, and began unwrapping the bandages around her hands. "As you can see," she said and showed her hand, "I don't have the softest hands. In fact, most shinobi have scar tissue on their hands, to make the skin tougher, and therefore it packs more of a punch. Also, it will help with preventing injuries." Now, since Kurenai was a genjutsu specialist she didn't have that much scar tissue on her hand. But there was enough for her genin to see._

"_Ano, sensei," Hinata asked in her quiet voice. "How will that help Kiba-kun and I? I mean, with juukenpo I use chakra to injure my enemy, and Kiba uses his nails a lot more than his hands."_

_Kurenai began wrapping the bandages around her hands again, and smiled to the pale-eyed girl. "Well, for you, Hinata, it will make the palm of your hand stronger. It won't prevent chakra to exit your tenketsu, but it will make it harder to enemies to hurt your hand with taijutsu alone. Also, it will help you with deflecting projectiles with your juuken, and not worry so much if the blade will pierce through your chakra _and_ your skin." Hinata nodded thoughtfully, while Kiba was waiting expectantly on her answer for him. Kurenai turned her look to Kiba, "And you, Kiba, you use your nails as much as you use your knuckles. You already know that your knuckles will have scar tissue, but on top of that, your nails should also grow sturdier."_

_Kiba frowned and looked down on his hands, "How? I mean, how can something like that happen, just by hitting a log?"_

"_It's in our nature," it came from Naruto. The three other members of Team 8 looked at the girl, who had stayed quiet so far. Kiba gave her his usual 'what the hell are you talking about' look. She sighed with a small smile, "It's in the human nature to adapt to different situations. If you keep lifting heavy objects, your muscles will expand and grow stronger to accommodate it. On the other hand, if you never lift anything heavier than a small table, your body won't use the recourses on it." Kiba nodded, showing he understood so far. She smiled at him, "So, now that you keep hitting that log, you keep damaging your skin, and keep cracking your nails, so what does your body do?"_

"_It… It makes my skin thicker, and nails tougher," Kiba said smiling, finally understanding._

"_Auf, Auf," a happy Akamaru barked, where after it jumped onto the lap of his master and licked his face._

"_It also happens to our chakra system," Kurenai continued where Naruto's little lecture. "Do you know why we enter our children to the Shinobi Academy at such an early age as 7, when it would be much wiser to wait till they were around 15 or 16?"_

"_It's so we can learn to use our chakra," Hinata answered_

_Kurenai nodded, "That's right. But why not wait till you were older?"_

_Hinata didn't know._

"_It's because your bodies is already adapting," the red-eyed jounin answered. "As you know, civilians can't use chakra. It isn't only because they haven't learned how to, but because at the age of around 14, the chakra system will shrink if you don't use it, and use the recourses elsewhere in the body. They don't lose their chakra system, or the chakra itself, it's just so subtle, only transporting energy around the body. They don't use chakra to do the various things that a shinobi does, so it shrinks in to what's needed. Although, that's the only time the chakra system changes. When you get over 20 years old, it won't shrink or grow, since the body has adapted to the system. That's why that retired shinobi still can use their chakra, since their system doesn't shrink back." She paused and saw how absorbed her genin were. She looked at Naruto for a moment, and thought about how much she could say without breaking the law. "The opposite is also true. If you get a decease, or get something sealed inside you, that increases the chakra in your body, the chakra system will adapt and grow larger, and even earlier, to accommodate it."_

_She stood up, marking the end of the lecture. "Ok, then. Let me see your hands." Kiba was the first to show his hands. Kurenai nodded, "good, good. Hinata, you're next." When Hinata showed her hands, Kurenai raised her eyebrow, "Have you done this kind of training before our team was formed? Your skin has a lot more hardened scar tissue than it should have."_

"_Well," Hinata answered, "not exactly. But I have trained with my father for two years now."_

"_That would explain it," the older woman said and let go of the Hyuuga heiress's hand. She turned toward Naruto, how tentatively showed her hands. Kurenai frowned; there wasn't any scar tissue - at all. With how hard the girl hit, there should at least be _some_, but her skin was as smooth and soft as ever. _

"_I heal very fast," Naruto answered before Kurenai had a chance of asking._

_Kurenai looked up at Naruto, and then glanced over at her teammates. She couldn't ask directly then. She let go of the red-haired girl's hand, "Is it something that you have inherited from your mother?"_

_Naruto picked up the meaning right away. She nodded._

_Kurenai sighed, "I guess it can't be helped then. I will still want you to do the punches and kick: it will still help your muscles evolve."_

- Flashback End -

Kurenai was rather pleased with their progress. Now that they had the basic down, it was time for them to branch out; chakra control, taijutsu – in other words sparring, since they all had their own taijutsu style -, and, of course, ninjutsu. She was also thinking about working with tactics. She already had an idea that Naruto was rather good at that, the way she had thought a plan up at their team test.

All that was of course just the training.

With creative use of Naruto's amazing Kage Bunshin, Hinata's all-seeing eyes, not to forget Kiba's and Akamaru's noses' and working moral, Team 8 had done two D-rank 'missions' on most days. As long as the team wasn't overworked, and came back while the Sandaime Hokage still had missions to give out, he was more than happy give them their second mission. It was of course not all days that they made it, but there was defenatly more days that they did two 'missions', than when they didn't.

It wasn't only their professionalism that was working, but the team also seemed to really get along with each other. There had been times when they had been walking to or from a mission, and the three genin had burst out laughing – even Naruto, although a little less than Kiba. Everyone would laugh less than Kiba. It was at time like these that she had no idea why she had been hesitant on taking on a genin team. But the easy times were bound to end sometime.

It was because of all the success that Kurenai were currently in a meeting with the old Hokage. They were to talk about the future of the team. Finally, the old man put down his pen, and looked up at the jounin sensei of his precious Naruto.

"So, Kurenai, I understand that it's going quite well with your team"

"Hai, Hokage-sama. They're all progressing nicely as a team," she answered.

The old Hokage nodded as he lit his pipe. "The reason I called you to this meeting, is because I want to talk to you about the future or your team. Or more precisely, if you think they're ready for C-rank missions. Technically, they were made eligible to receive C-rank missions when they completed their twenty-fifth D-rank – which they did last week. But they have completed a lot more missions a lot faster, than 'normal' genin teams." He paused and looked at the young jounin in front of his desk, "Do you think your team is ready?"

Kurenai took a deep breath. "To be honest Hokage-sama," she started, "if I could, I would postpone their first C-tank as much as possible. A lot of dangers lie beyond the city border."

Hiruzen chuckled, "As do we all. But they're going to get their first C-rank sooner or later."

"Yes, I know," she sighed. "With their current skill, I would say that they're ready… as much as I would like them to stick with D-rank for a little while longer, I guess I can't be mad at them for progressing so well."

"Indeed," Hiruzen said and scribbled something down. "Very well then: I will have a C-rank ready for your team tomorrow. So your team won't be getting any D-rank mission today – use the day to make the necessary." He looked through the stacks of paper, finally picked up a convolute, "Here is the description of the mission."

She accepted the convolute. She quickly opened it and read through the description, and folded it together again. She looked back at her superior, "If there wasn't anything else, Hokage-sama, I would like to go now. I have a team meeting in five minutes."

Hiruzen nodded, already doing his paperwork again, "There was nothing else. You're dismissed."

* * *

Kurenai hadn't walked very far from the Hokage's office, before she was stopped by one of her colleagues; Gai.

"Yosh! Kurenai-san! Just the kunoichi I wanted to see!" it came from the other jounin. Here was another example on a great shinobi having some eccentricity. Gai was the village's taijutsu specialist, very much like she was its genjutsu specialist. He had even gotten the nickname 'Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey'. The reason for the 'green' part was his clothing; he was wearing a green jumpsuit, orange striped leg warmers and the standard Konoha flak jacket, though it's normally unzipped. That wasn't the only thing that was a bit weird about his appearance. His hair was cut in bowl-style, and in the middle of his face, were two _very_ pronounced eyebrows.

But despite all his eccentricity, he was a very good and loyal friend, which she knew she could always count on… if she could stand his rants about 'youthfulness'.

She waved to the eccentric jounin, "What's up Gai? Don't you usually train with Lee at this time in the morning?"

"That is most true, my friend Kurenai! But I cut the training short to speak to master of the art of Genjutsu!" Gai said _very_ loudly, making people giving him annoyed looks. She couldn't blame them; it wasn't even half past seven yet. People were still waking up.

"Really?" she asked her colleague. "Well, you will have to talk while we walk. I have a team meeting right now, which I'm a bit late for."

"Of course my friend!" said an excited Gai.

"So," Kurenai said after they had started their walk, "What did you want to talk about?"

"As you know," the jumpsuit wearing jounin started, "I lack the youthfulness and finesse to do Genjutsu!"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I was thinking if you could teach my student Lee and Tenten how to dispel them! I have never been very good at all that, unlike you!"

Kurenai didn't say anything for several steps, thinking about it. She was going to teach her team about genjutsu sooner or later, so it wouldn't really be a problem. "I guess I could do it," she finally said.

"YOSH! I KNEW I COULD COUNT ON YOU!" Gai shouted, making him cringe just a bit.

"But it will have to wait a few weeks." Gai looked at her a question burning in his eyes. "My team has gotten their first C-rank mission: we're leaving tomorrow."

Gai raised an eyebrow as he smiled, "A C-rank mission already? Why, Kurenai, your team must be full with youthfulness!"

She smiled back at her colleague. "They aren't too shabby," she agreed.

"Ok then! I will speak to you, once you return from your journey outside the village! See ya then!" he said as he jumped away, onto the rooftops. She smiled: he really was a good friend.

* * *

In the end, Kurenai ended getting late to their meeting by three minutes. Not a very good example, as she herself had said that you could get killed by getting late. But it didn't seem like her students minded. As she arrived at their usual meeting spot, the three of them were chatting with each other with smiles on their faces. Naruto was leaning up a tree with her hands behind her head, Hinata standing beside her with half-folded hands. Kiba was squatting between the two girls, playing lightly with Akamaru, saying something the girls found quite humorous judging from their small laughs.

"Sorry I'm late," Kurenai said as she walked over to her students. "I got held up in a meeting with Hokage-sama".

"No sweat, sensei," Kiba said with a smile and got up from his squatting position. "It isn't like you have a chronic lateness, which causes you to show up three hours late every day."

Kurenai sweatdropped while the two girls stifled a laugh. They had no idea that Kiba had just described Konoha's very own Copy Ninja with very precise words.

She coughed to get their attention, "I'm glad that you all showed up on time, as usual, but we won't be doing any training today."

"Will we be going directly to the mission office then," asked the soft-spoken Hyuuga girl.

"No, we won't be doing mission today either," Kurenai answered.

"What? What the hell are we supposed to do today then?" Kiba asked loudly before Kurenai could tell them why.

"We have gotten a mission, haven't we?" Naruto said, causing her to get looks from Kiba and Hinata

Kurenai nodded affirmative. "Yes, we have gotten a C-rank mission. Our mission is to go to the border between Hi no Kuni and Tsuchi no Kuni. There have been some incident between Iwa and Konoha there, so Hokage-sama wants us to stay and look out for anything for a week or two."

Naruto stiffened at the name of 'Tsuchi no Kuni' and 'Iwa', not going unnoticed by Kurenai. Kiba, however, missed it completely, already cheering wildly with Akamaru. Hinata was smarter than her less fortunate male friend, and had a light frown on her face.

"Kurenai-sensei," Hinata began and got the attention of her team. "Why is he sending us – a team of newly graduated genin? Border patrol should be at least be a B-rank mission."

"Hinata!" Kiba whined. "Don't make her change her mind!"

"Auf, Auf!" Akamaru agreed.

"You're right, Hinata," the jounin said, ignoring Kiba. "It is a mission normally taken by chunin-level shinobi. But there is more to this than the eye meets. First of all, we will only be guarding a small part of the border; thirty-five kilometers at most. Second; the Hokage don't want this to escalate, which it would if he began sending strong shinobi to the border. He doesn't want a new war on his hands."

"War? I thought we were just talking about a little incident at the border," Kiba said wondering.

"All wars started with 'just a little incident'. The countries involved handle it wrong, and it gets blown out of proportion, and before they knew it, they were at all-out war." Now Kiba was frowning too. It seemed he had understood the gravity of this mission.

"So what is Hokage-sama expecting us to do exactly?" he asked.

"He wants us to patrol those thirty-five kilometers of border we have been assigned to. We are to see that there aren't any more incidents, and if there is, making sure it isn't from our side. If something happens, it must be clear to the other countries that it was from their side."

Kiba turned towards Naruto, who had been quiet so far. "What do you think, Naruto?"

"Nothing good can happen with anything Iwa is involved with," Naruto said almost coldly. "Sensei, if there wasn't anything else, I would like to leave now." Kurenai frowned mentally: Where did the happy girl, who was here just a few minutes ago, go? It's like the redhead had done a complete 180 degree turn.

"No, there wasn't anything else. Don't do any training today; I need you all to be well rested tomorrow for when we set out. Pack provisions to last for three weeks. We will most likely be back by then, but it's better to have too much then to little…" The genin nodded. "Good then. We'll meet at the North Gate at 9a.m." Knowing that her students knew what to do, Kurenai used a shunshin and set out to do her own preparations.

Kiba looked with over at Hinata, reading in her face what he was feeling: they were worried about Naruto. It wasn't normal for her to get… to get… there wasn't any other word than _cold_, about things. He turned to look at Naruto, only to find out that she was already walking towards the exit of the training grounds.

"Hey Naruto! Wait up!" Kiba called and quickly ran after his crush, with Hinata close behind him. They caught up to her as she reached the tree-line. "Naruto," Kiba said, "what's wrong? What did you mean about nothing good can happen with anything Iwa is involved in?"

"It means just like it sounds," she said, wearing her mask. Both her friends frowned; she must be truly upset if she would put that on even with only them being there.

"Naruto-kun," it came from the dojutsu wielder, "I think what Kiba-kun means is why do you think that."

"It's nothing you should concern yourself with," Naruto sneered to them and paced up. Akamaru whimpered a bit, not recognizing the girl.

"Naruto!" Kiba called.

She didn't listen.

"Naruto! What's wrong? Talk with us!" he called again.

She ignored him again, trying to get away from them.

"Naruto!" he said and grabbed onto her arms. He spun her around so they were face to face. "What the hell is wrong with you! Don't use that mask on us! We're your friends, so you can tell us!"

Hinata put a hand on Kiba shoulder. He caught the motion, and let go of their redheaded teammate. The Hyuuga heiress softly looked at Naruto,

"Please don't use that mask on us, Naruto-kun. You know that you can trust us, right?"

Naruto looked from Hinata, to Kiba, and back to Hinata again. She sighed; if she couldn't trust them, who could she trust then?

"Sorry," she muttered.

Akamaru walked over to her leg and began rubbing his head on it. The whiskered girl smiled and picked the white puppy up and began petting it.

"It's ok," Kiba said with a smile as the group began walking again. "Now, can you tell us what's wrong?"

The Uzumaki heiress sighed yet again and looked up through the canopies of the forest, up in the sky. She was silent for a few seconds before she answered. "You both know that my clan originally was located in Uzushiogakure, right?"

Both Hinata and Kiba nodded. They had both been listening in the class when Naruto had told about Uzushiogakure. After they had asked her why she picked that village, and she had told them that her clan was from there.

"But neither of you know how it got destroyed." It wasn't really a question, but both her friends shook their head, not daring to speak up.

"Uzushiogakure was at its peak of power during the Second Shinobi World War. It was a fairly small village… but they had the Uzumaki. We were infamous for our skill in fuinjutsu. It was that skill that got it destroyed… Uzu wasn't active in the war, only sending shinobi to support Konoha. But that wouldn't last."

"Konoha's enemies were afraid that Uzu decided to go full-out in the war. They knew of the skill they had, and didn't want to risk fighting them."

"_Iwa_," she spit out as if it was venom, "Iwa made a temporary alliance with Kiri! They ambushed the village in the middle of the night, and slaughtered anything that was breathing! The few that survived didn't dare regroup, afraid that Iwa would attack them again. So the few members of the Uzumaki Clan that survived scattered across the globe…"

"They even started the Third Shinobi World War because they thought Konoha and Suna was planning to invade Tsuchi no Kuni – something that was proved wrong years later." Her jaw was clenched tight. Hinata and Kiba was a little shocked; they had never seen Naruto like this. "They can't be trusted," Naruto finished. Neither the Hyuuga heir nor the Inuzuka heir had any idea she hated _anyone_ like that. Not that they could blame her. Hinata could even relate a bit to it – Kumo having tried to kidnap her, ending with the death of her uncle.

There was an awkward silence after that. It ended when Kiba – very carefully – laid his right arm on Naruto shoulder and squeezed her lightly, "So… I guess you could use some cheering up?"

Naruto blinked a few times at the sudden change of subject. Her she had poured her heart out to him, and his response was food? That was… That was so… She smiled: that was so like Kiba. She took a deep breath to clear her head. "Yeah," she said with a tired smile, "I guess I could use some cheering up."

"Then I know just the place!" Kiba said and jumped ahead of them.

- Fifteen minutes later in front of Ichiraku Ramen -

Naruto went ahead inside, leaving her two teammates alone for a few seconds.

"Ichiraku's?" Hinata asked amused. "What a surprise."

"Or shut it," Kiba said with a smile and punched her playfully on the shoulder. "You know that there isn't a better place in the village to cheer Naruto up."

"True," Hinata said. She could agree to that much. Ichiraku Ramen had been the place they had eaten at for almost as long as they had been friends, and it held many of her fond memories. Furthermore, Teuchi-ojisan and Ayame seemed to be some of the closest thing Naruto had to a family. If anyone, or anything, could cheer her up, it was them.

* * *

**Authors Note:** And another chapter is done :) I realize that this chapter is a lot shorter than the others. There are a few reasons for that: First of all, as you know, I'm taking it easy. This was what I could write for this part of the story for now. And I think you rather have it now, than wait three weeks 'till inspiration hits me again :). Second; I had two things I thought about adding (both inspired from Team 8), but decided I wouldn't – thus the chapter getting shorter. There isn't really anything else I can put in. If I did, it would just be things that didn't matter, and it might be a bit boring.

Now, in these two chapters (4 and 5), we have seen some of Naruto's faults. As you can see in this chapter, I have chosen to give her a grudge against Iwa. I really do like canon!Naruto and his 'non-hating' act, but I really don't think it could happen. Everyone has something they hate – more or less. You have probably also already figured out that that grudge will give some problems in the future :) If it will be on the border mission, or it will be way into the future, I won't say.

Do you guys know how hard it is to make up a C-rank mission? It was hell for me! Which is why I have taken the same mission as 'Team 8' – rest assured though! There will be changes.

For 'Shoton of Konoha' readers and/or fans: 'Shoton of Konoha' will be updated next! That also means that it MAY be, or probably will be, longer till the next update on this story.

And a last thing; as you can, or maybe you can't, see, I have changed the chapter titles a bit. Please tell me what you think about it :)

Until next time :)

**Hi no Kuni – Land of Fire:** Hi no Kuni is one of the largest and most powerful countries on the elemental continent, and is the home of the village of Konohagakure. Its government leader is the Fire Daimyo. Hi no Kuni was the first country to adopt a ninja village, Konohagakure, a custom other countries would soon adopt. Hi no Kuni is appropriately oriented towards the Katon type, typically having very bright and warm weather. While not the physically largest country, it has the largest hidden village.

**Tsuchi no Kuni – Land of Earth:** Tsuchi no Kuni has seen little attention in the series thus far. It is located north-west of the Hi no Kuni. Its government leader is the Earth Daimyo. The country is mostly comprised of desolate, rocky areas. The border of the Land of Earth runs along a rocky mountain range, blocking communication with other countries. The wind blowing from the north passes over these mountains, carrying small rocks from the Land of Earth to the surrounding countries. This famous natural phenomenon is called "Rock Rain" (_Gan'u_).


	6. Her Frustrations

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Pain1516****:** No problem ;) I'm always happy to answer question, as long as they don't spoil the story, or are right out stupid.

Yeah, Kurenai isn't the kind of person who would leave without doing something. So I have to think of another way to introduce Jiraiya. And I must be honest – I don't know how yet. But it's a whole arc away :).

Yes, Kakashi will be in the story. Just here the first arcs is about Naruto and her team – like in the arc – whereafter it will begin to bring her year and their sensei into the story as well.

**Roboguy45****:** Curing Tsunade's bad luck? That's stretching it, I think xd. But yeah, it is a scary art.

**Dracoessa:** Well, it's normal for the first mission for a genin team to be C-rank. It was streak of bad luck that lead canon!Naruto's first mission to be borderline A-rank. And I know that border patrol should probably be higher rank, but… Yeah, it's not going to be xd.

**Chapter 6:** Her Frustrations

* * *

"_They even started the Third Shinobi World War because they thought Konoha and Suna was planning to invade Tsuchi no Kuni – something that was proved wrong years later." Her jaw was clenched tight. Hinata and Kiba was a little shocked; they had never seen Naruto like this. "They can't be trusted," Naruto finished. Neither the Hyuuga heir nor the Inuzuka heir had any idea she hated anyone like that. Not that they could blame her. Hinata could even relate a bit to it – Kumo having tried to kidnap her, ending with the death of her uncle._

_There was an awkward silence after that. It ended when Kiba – very carefully – laid his right arm on Naruto shoulder and squeezed her lightly, "So… I guess you could use some cheering up... like Ichiraku's?"_

_Naruto blinked a few times at the sudden change of subject. Her she had poured her heart out to him, and his response was food? That was… That was so… She smiled: that was so like Kiba. She took a deep breath to clear her head. "Yeah," she said with a tired smile, "I guess I could use some cheering up."_

"_Then I know just the place!" Kiba said and jumped ahead of them._

_- Fifteen minutes later in front of Ichiraku Ramen -_

_Naruto went ahead inside, leaving her two teammates alone for a few seconds._

"_Ichiraku's?" Hinata asked amused. "What a surprise."_

"_Or shut it," Kiba said with a smile and punched her playfully on the shoulder. "You know that there isn't a better place in the village to cheer Naruto up."_

"_True," Hinata said. She could agree to that much. Ichiraku Ramen had been the place they had eaten at for almost as long as they had been friends and it held many of her fond memories. Furthermore, Teuchi-ojisan and Ayame seemed to be some of the closest thing Naruto_ _had to a family. If anyone, or anything, could cheer her up, it was them._

* * *

Naruto was currently leaning up of a wall on the side of the street that lead to the North Gate of Konoha. Team 8 was supposed to meet here at 9a.m. for their first mission outside the village. And while she wore her public mask at the moment, the cool and collected façade, she was _really_ nervous on the inside. As much as she was confident inside the village walls – well as confident you can be when you have had assassination attempts since you were born – as much she was… scared of the outside.

In all her life, she hadn't stepped one step outside those gates. Oh, she had tried. Many times. But the Gate and Wall guards were much more throughout with their patrolling, than the guards patrolling the village. She guessed she should be grateful for that – at least she didn't have to worry about someone from another village attacking her.

It was still fairly early – only around 8.40a.m. or something like that – so the street wasn't that busy. Mostly it was shinobi who were heading out on or home from a mission. But of course, the few that did spot her gave her dirty looks and whispered things under their breath. And as usual, she pretended not to hear it.

She had been thinking lately, more than usual, about how the villagers treated her. She knew that she didn't _need_ their approval, but that didn't mean that she didn't _wanted_ it. Maybe being a shinobi would help her with gaining their approval. She remembered that old lady, Chiyoko her name was, from her first D-rank mission. Naruto didn't know if the old lady had changed her opinion, or if she had just accepted that the 'Demon Bitch' at least could do some work without messing up. The latter seemed more likely than the former. But Naruto wasn't completely confident in trusting her opinion on this particular subject. After all; you don't live through years and years of abuse – physically as well as mentally – without it changing you just the slightest. No matter what, their opinions weren't likely to change from one day to another. Perhaps this time away from the village would be good for her.

She closed her eyes and just enjoyed the slightly chill morning air. Not long after she heard quiet footsteps coming towards her. She had a pretty good idea of who it was, but opened her left eye slightly to be sure. Towards her walked the Hyuuga heiress, coming earlier than necessary as always. And she was carrying a very large bag on her back. Naruto knew that Kurenai had told them to rather pack too much than too little. But Hinata might have taken it a step too far. Or ten steps.

Naruto felt a slight pang of guilt; she didn't need to run around with bags and stuff like that. After she had gotten the first book about the Uzumaki fuinjutsu, she had trained hard to live up to her clan's legacy. It was almost only about the theory behind fuinjutsu, but there was one seal that you learned fairly early in the book; the sealing of unanimated objects.

It had a named, but someone – Naruto would guess Mito – had scratched that word out. If she would guess, then it wasn't called that anymore. But the new name hadn't been scribbled into the page with that elegant writing. So for now Naruto just called them Sealing Seals.

Naruto had of course thought of teaching, or even give, some sealing scrolls to her teammates, but they were both from two prominent clans, and these seals wasn't normal seals. They were Uzumaki seals – stronger by many lengths than the sealing jutsu you could find at the Shinobi Library. Now, she would never think that Hinata or Kiba would betray her and give the scrolls to their clan on purpose. But if they accidently had them laying about for prying eyes, she could lose one of the only things she had from her clan – and lose it to another clan nonetheless. She couldn't bear that. That didn't mean she would have to like to see her friend stagger under the weight of her over packed backpack.

"You don't need to worry about it Naruto-kun," it came softly from Hinata, who were now beside her. "I understand that you don't want to risk your clan's secrets."

Naruto opened her eyes and blinked a few times. Apparently she had showed more emotion than she had thought. She winced mentally. While she had thought of just dropping the mask, she just couldn't bear to do it yet. But it seemed like it was cracking on its own – slowly but surely. Naruto looked around to see if anyone had seen the slip. No. That was good. Maybe no one else had seen anything. Maybe it was just because Hinata was of the Hyuuga – masters of reading other peoples body language.

"It's probably also wise with regard to my clan," Hinata continued. "We don't have much talent for the fuinjutsu art, but I don't think some members would hesitate to gain another clan's secrets…"

Naruto sighed and finally began to talk, "I know you're right. But I'm still… meh." The Uzumaki heiress shook her head. "I haven't even brought extra scrolls for this trip. I could have at least have done that!"

"It's ok, Naruto-kun," Hinata smiled to her friend. "I will manage. And I'm more than sure Kiba-kun will too."

Naruto couldn't exactly disagree with her friend; both she and Kiba had been trained to be a shinobi. She shook her head slightly again, settled back on the wall, and closed her eyes once more.

A few minutes later Kurenai came walking out on the main road from a small ally. She spotted her two students quickly and made her way over there.

"Good morning, Hinata. Good morning, Naruto."

"Good morning, sensei," Hinata said with a nod.

"Sensei," Naruto greeted without opening her eyes.

Kurenai stopped in front of them and turned toward the road, leading into the village, scouting after the last member of their small team.

"I hope you both have packed for the mis-," Kurenai started but stopped herself midsentence. She hadn't seen how big the Hyuuga's bag pack was. "Hinata, what have you packed?"

"Everything that we might need on a mission, sensei," Hinata answered, getting a little flustered at the prospect of disappoint their sensei on their first real mission. And the mission hadn't even started yet.

Kurenai looked from the Hyuuga heiress, to her bag back, and back on the girl again. She exhaled a small sigh; if they were going at 9a.m., there was no way that they could drop some of the stuff she had packed off. '_I guess we will have to divide some of the stuff between our bag packs.'_ She looked over at the redheaded member of their team and frowned.

"Naruto, where are your bag pack?" The Yuhi jounin asked.

Naruto, without opening her eyes, stuck her hand into the small bag on her thigh, and took out two scrolls, and put them back again. Kurenai's eyes widened slightly for second, but quickly came over the shock. She should have known Naruto would do something like that; she was an Uzumaki after all.

The jounin-sensei turned towards the road again to look for the Inuzuka member. It was only about 8.50a.m., so he still had some time to arrive. They waited… and waited… and just as the clock had almost hit 9a.m. sharp, a mess of brown hair came running down the street with a white fur-ball bolting after him, dodging several persons on the way – whom responded by yelling less pleasant things after him. He has sweat running down in torrents all over his body, and he was breathing rather heavily. It was pretty clear that he had been late, and had set out on full speed to make it on time. And he had made it. Barely.

Kurenai frowned; it looked to her like the Inuzuka heir hadn't packed enough. His bag didn't look very full anyway, and she doubted that Kiba would have done something as smart as using seals. It wasn't that Kiba was stupid, he just wasn't the sharpest spoon in the drawer. He had his moments, though, but they usually were in the more physical aspect, rather than some book-smart stuff.

Naruto opened her eyes and got ready to leave when she heard Kiba coming down the street. But as soon as she opened her eyes, she was sucked into dream world. She spotted the hazel eyes right away, bright and warm. They were adorned on the most handsome face she could think of, which was gleaming with sweat. Every person he met on the road smiled and nodded politely at him.

It was this sight that mesmerized the last Uzumaki… until Kiba tripped over a stone, and his forehead went smack into Naruto's face, drawing blood.

"THE HELL KIBA!?" Naruto screamed at the dog boy, drawing the attention of the whole street. There was also laughter – quite a lot actually. Naruto didn't know if it was how Kiba had _kindly_ greeted Naruto, or because of Naruto being hurt. She didn't care either way.

Kiba got up on his knees. "Whoops, sorry for that Princess."

"_Whoops!?_ You charge at me, and all you say is _whoops!?_" Naruto said, clearly still upset. Kiba took a good look at her; she still wore the clothes he had given her. And her face was as beautiful as ever… if you ignored the blood and the forehead impression in her face.

Naruto was holding her hand to her nose, trying to stop the rather strong nosebleed. With her other hand she touched her nose. Not much pain; good. It wasn't broken at least. Not that it would've been much of a problem for her. Her attention went back to the now dust-covered Kiba lying on the ground. She shot him a glare and started walking toward the gate.

"I said sorry, didn't I?" Kiba shouted after her. But she didn't listen. She was set straight for the gate, and didn't look back. He turned his attention to the two other kunoichi in his presence, "didn't I?"

Hinata patted Kiba on the back. "Sure you did, Kiba. Sure you did," she said while trying _really_ hard to not get a fit of laughter. Then she half ran up beside the still fuming Naruto.

The hazel-eyed boy turned towards, "didn't I?"

Kurenai just smiled at him. "Don't worry about it. Girls will be girls, just as boys will be boys." And with that she started walking – a bit fast to catch up with the two genin kunoichi – towards the gate.

"What the hell is that crap s'posed to mean!?" Kiba shouted after Kurenai. But she just looked over her shoulder and winked.

Kiba started sulking, and if it hadn't been for Akamaru reminding him that he had a mission to do, he would probably have been left behind.

* * *

The first day went without any incidents – major or otherwise. Kiba had tried the whole way to get a conversation started with Naruto, but the redheaded girl was as angry with him as only a girl could be. Hinata and Kurenai had sent sympathetic looks to him the whole. As the day had approached afternoon, Kiba had settled with leaving the Uzumaki heiress alone.

At nightfall they had found a small inn run by an old couple and they child. Apparently the inn had been in their family for almost one-hundred-and-fifty-years – they even had a chair they said the Shodai Hokage had made, after he had broken – accidently – one himself. Though Naruto didn't really know if she believed that. Either way, it was fun to think about.

Team 8 had set out before dawn the next day. To their surprise the old couple had been up and about to make breakfast for them, which the shinobi from Konoha gladly accepted. After that they headed north-west. Kiba had tried after an hour's walk of silence to talk to Naruto. At least she responded now, but she still seemed very irate about the day before. But at least there could me small chatter – Hinata and Naruto having whole conversations about stuff didn't know, or didn't want to know, about.

Then dawn finally came. After having walked about two hours in the damp morning air, it was refreshing to have the first light of day shine through the trees of the forest, down upon ones face. Naruto almost felt bad for the poor souls up in Kumo and… other places up north, for never being able to experience the very first light of day. It simply wasn't possible with all the mountains in the north.

The delight didn't last long, though. The day showed itself to be very, _very_ hot and dry. So hot it was that the genin kunoichi didn't have enough energy to talk. None of the team had any energy to do anything but walk in the burning heat. The trees didn't help much – they weren't in the thick forest that surrounded Konoha, but was on a neighboring forest. This one was much younger, and there was longer between the trees, allowing sun almost everywhere. To Naruto and the rest of her team, they wouldn't really call it a forest. It was simply… too little, too small.

"Let's rest for now," Kurenai said a bit after noon, where the sun was highest on the heavens. None of the genin argued with her. Not even Kiba. They all just threw themselves in the shadow of the nearest oak. Kurenai, being more elegant, and far more experienced when it came to traveling, simply sad down beside her genin team. It was at times like these that she couldn't understand how she almost had turned down being a sensei.

After resting with her students for about half an hour, the jounin of Team 8 reached for a water canteen, but frowned when she found that there was only one fourth of the water left. It had been full when they set out this morning and full when the sun had risen. And there was no creeks nearby. This… could actually work in her favour. She had meant to start teaching them ninjutsu, since they were pretty much settled in on the physical training.

"What would you guys think about learning a new jutsu?" Kurenai asked as carelessly as if she had spoken about the weather.

Kiba immediately sat up. "Really!? You're going to start teaching us Ninjutsu? FINALLY!" he said, getting up and jumped around, forgetting all about his fatigue.

"Auf, Auf," Akamaru barked in excitement for his partner.

Naruto and Hinata seemed excited too, although they contained it much better.

"Relax Kiba, would you?" it came from Naruto. Kiba, really wanting to get on the good side of Naruto again, took a deep breath and sat down beside the girls. "Thank you," Naruto said. Although out of the corner of her eyes, she could still see him shake slightly in excitement. She couldn't help but smile a little – it was so Kiba.

Kurenai smiled at the genin in front of her. "Good then. First of all, this isn't really a battle jutsu, but more of a convenience jutsu." Kiba groaned a bit. Most fortunate Kurenai had learned to ignore Kiba's small outbursts. She continued. "For example; on a hot day like this, even we Shinobi will need water. But as I'm sure you've noticed, you're probably running out of water." None of them answered, but they all looked away as if ashamed. "Oh, don't be ashamed! I'm running out of water too. Anyway, if there had been any creeks, lakes, or rivers nearby, we would've normally taken a small detour to fill up on our water reserves. But there is none. That is where this jutsu comes in handy."

Naruto, Hinata, and Kiba watched as Kurenai got up on her feet. She walked a few feet away, setting her water canteen on the ground while it was open. Then she went through two hand seals.

"_Suiton: Gyooshuku!_"

Water seemingly appeared from thin air. As soon as it formed it start falling, and soon there was a small stream flowing down into their sensei's water canteen, filling it up with fresh, clean water. The three genin had different reactions. Kiba was, of course, completely psyched, ready to get up and jump again. Hinata seemed moderately excited about the new jutsu – even if her clan didn't do much of that. Naruto had eyes had widened slightly in recognition: it was like when she was using Suiton, just on a much smaller scale. She imagined that it couldn't be done any bigger by someone not with extraordinary strong Suiton connection – like she had.

"What," Kurenai said while she picked up her canteen, "you saw here was the jutsu called '_Suiton: Gyooshuku'_. What it does is gather the moisture in the air right around you, and condenses it so you can use it. Be that for drinking, washing, or a third option doesn't matter." Hinata raised her hand. "Yes, Hinata?"

"Ano, sensei," the Hyuuga clan member said. "Isn't what you just did like what Nidaime-sama did? And Naruto-kun?"

"That was a good observation. But I wouldn't expect anything else from a Hyuuga," Kurenai praised the girl, whose cheeks became lightly pink. "You're right, it is exactly like what Nidaime-sama and Naruto does with water – just on a much smaller scale. You can probably not do it much larger than what I just did – and Kiba don't you try to do so."

Kiba scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed grin plastered on his face. It was pretty obvious that he had thought about it. "Now sensei, why would I do that?"

"Because you're you, Kiba," it came deadpanned from Naruto.

"Auf, Auf!" Akamaru agreed with Naruto.

Kiba's head hung in shame.

"Kiba," Kurenai said bringing his attention back to her. "There nothing wrong with wanting to be better, but overdoing things can be dangerous. The reason you shouldn't try to do it any larger than mine, is that it will consume a lot more chakra, and then nothing would happen. Nothing fatal could happen if you tried to overdo it with this jutsu anyway, but it would leave you severely drained."

"Alright, Alright, I get it. Don't overdo any ninjutsu," Kiba said, maybe just the tiny tad annoyed. Akamaru pushed his head against Kiba's arm, and he brightened up right away, picking up the white puppy.

"I'm glad," Kurenai responded. "Now these are the seals that you'll need to use," she said showing them two seals. "Ok, if you're ready, then let's try it. Hinata, why don't you go first?"

"Hai," the lavender-eyed girl said and got up. She put down her empty water canteen the same place as Kurenai had, and went through the two seals.

"_Suiton: Gyooshuku!_"

There was a few seconds where nothing happened. But then a water stream close to exact the same size as before appeared and moved neatly into the girl's canteen. Naruto smiled; it was so like any Hyuuga to get a new jutsu down on the first try. They did have an advantage to see the chakra requirement and movements beforehand. Nonetheless, the jutsu was done nearly flawless. That also takes some skill outside that advantage.

Kurenai seemed to have come to the same assessment. "Very good, Hinata. Very good. You should train to do it a bit faster, but other than that, you seem to have understood the principles behind the jutsu rather well."

"Hai," Hinata said while blushing lightly. Naruto smiled at that; there was still a bit of the old Hinata left in her. Hinata returned to sit beside Naruto.

"You're next, Kiba," it came from Kurenai.

"Yosh! I'm going to show you all!" Kiba said happily, finally allowed to stand up again. He put his water canteen on the ground. He quickly went through the two seals.

"_Suiton: Gyooshuku!_"

Unlike Hinata's the jutsu appeared right away. But whereas Hinata's had been a steady stream, Kiba seemed to be struggling to gather enough water, and the jutsu stopped multiple times. When he saw the result, he began to pout.

"Now, now, Kiba. You shouldn't pout," Kurenai said. "You did very good for your first try. But it seems like you have a little trouble with continuing to supply the jutsu throughout the process. It's quite common, actually. Most, if not all, the ninjutsu you learn at The Academy is instantaneously, so you only have to provide chakra for a moment. The same can be said about the clan jutsu you have learned. Well, maybe except your scent-enhancement. All in all, a rather well done jutsu."

"Auf!" Akamaru barked happily.

The Inuzuka puffed his chest up a bit in boyish pride, already forgetting about the mistakes he did, went back and sat beside Hinata.

"Naruto, you're up next,"

"Hai," Naruto said and got up. She put her water canteen down on the same spot as all the others had done. The seals was done fast. Then she closed her eyes and concentrated.

"_Suiton: Gyooshuku!_" she said and managed her chakra. '_As little chakra as possible, Naruto…'_ the redheaded Uzumaki thought to herself._ 'Not only do you got a strong Suiton connection, you also got a ton of chakra. I can't even use as much, or little from my view, as Kiba or Hinata… As little as possible… as little as possible…'_

She opened her eyes to see small water drops form in the air, getting together, and-

"Naruto! What is taking you so long!?" Kiba half-yelling voice asked her, completely breaking her concentration, making her lose control of the amount of chakra.

Where before there had been small drops of water, there were large globs that quickly gathered together, forming into what could only be described as a small waterfall. And since Naruto was standing next to the water canteen, it just managed to splash her good before she cut off the chakra flow. Kiba swore he could see the water evaporate off her as she turned at him.

"What the hell is wrong with you, mutt!? First you tackle me yesterday, and now you try to make me fail my jutsu!? I'm just… Argh!" she didn't have anything else to say. She walked straight over the road – Akamaru running after her so she wouldn't be alone – and sat by a tree far away from him, trying to get the water out of her hair, and trying to get dry in the sun.

Kiba looked at her with disbelief. '_What just happened? I just asked her what took so long!_' The dog-user had no idea who that girl was. She was irate ever since they set out from Konoha. And now she got angry at him for no reason at all. He had seen Naruto angry a few times before. But never at him, and never like this. He turned to Hinata, who were looking at her sapphire-eyed teammate with concern.

"Do you know what's wrong with her? It's like she's a whole 'nother person!" he asked her, almost desperate.

A small frown appeared on Hinata's forehead. "You mean you haven't figured it out yet?"

"What is there to figure out? Ever since we set out on this miss-" Kiba started, but stopped midsentence as the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. "Oh, I'm such an idiot…" he said facepalming himself.

"No you're not." Kiba turned to see Kurenai looking at Naruto with an equally worried look. "She is probably not the best first mission for her… I wish I'd known about her relationship to Iwa before I accepted the mission…" She turned to look at Kiba. "You're not doing anything wrong – you're being yourself. She is just taking her frustrations out on you – consciously or not. Though, I don't think she would do it on purpose… She just has a lot on her mind."

Kiba nodded and looked over at his crush again. She was smiling again, making him smile in return. She was playing with Akamaru, who was doing an excellent job at cheering her up again. '_Atta boy_'.

* * *

**Authors Note:** I'm back bitches! But you already knew that if you're reading 'Shoton of Konoha' :).

I hope you liked the chapter. I don't know if I have progressed a bit too far with Naruto, her being a bit different in this chapter. Even if it is because of the mission. Tell me what you think.

I have been watching some of the Naruto movies, and have especially taken a liking to the 3rd movie. Think it's named Guardian of the Crescent Moon Island. What would you guys say if I wrote it into the story? Red Tempest of Konoha style, of course. I think it would be great :).

I'm also going to read through the first chapters the next few days/week. A few people have pointed out some grammar mistakes, and a few places where my story resembles 'Team 8' too much. I will say again; I never meant, and never will mean, to steal/copy other authors. That said, I am still a fairly new author myself, and I still got things to learn. So if you see any grammar mistakes, or things you think is 'stealing' (which I hope you will not), then please do tell me, either in a review or PM. And please tell me the exact place of the mistake. I can't really use 'I found some mistakes in the story' to anything. Yes, I am told I have made some mistakes, but I have no idea what they were, and thus I can't correct and learn from them.

Then on to the length of the chapters. Like with 'Shoton of Konoha', I've thought about cutting the chapter length to 5k. And when I say chapter length I mean the length of the story, not the story plus authors note plus response to reviews. And the story itself won't be shorter, it will just be cut up in more chapters. Think it will help me some – not needing to write 8k for each update. This of course also should mean that I most likely will update more often.

And it's official! I'm 17 as of the 1st of September! This is why I haven't uploaded sooner :) I've simply have had too many things to finish for my small party. Hope you can forgive me under the circumstances.

Until next time :)

**Suiton: Gyooshuku – Water Release: Condensation:** Gathers the moister from the air around the caster, making it into a small stream which can be used for various purposes.


	7. Her Reasons

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Trishi08:** Well, I'm glad that the summary caught your interest. I have tried it too, with story-categories that I normally avoid, and sometimes I get blown away. Like, I really don't feel much for fem!naru/sasu, but I read this one story that just… wow. And I'm glad that you didn't let Kurenai let you stop you either :) I think I wrote that she was sensei in the summary. Or maybe just that Naruto was put on Team 8 instead? Never mind that, I'm happy that you didn't let it stop you.

One of the best stories that you've read? Wow, thanks. I know that I'm not a bad author, but I just think there are tons and tons of completely awe-inspiring authors out there, whom are wayyy better than me. So thank you very much :)

**Gruddard:** I've also been in Kiba's situation. Which is where I got the idea from. And of course girls aren't always like that – in my experience they only are like that when they are truly upset. So I thought it was the perfect moment for Naruto – with her going on a mission so close to Iwa, and with the relationship she has with the country.

And of course not all boys can't see what's wrong. But Kiba is Kiba, and it seem to fit him – as well (obviously) to canon!Naruto.

**Macilnar****:** I'm happy you like the story :).

Yeah, it is a bit hard to find good fem!naruto stories – and very hard to find some, where Sasuke isn't the pairing. But here is a few that I've found (and yes, some of them are with Sasuke. But as I said above, I still think they're pretty awesome).

Konoha no Senkou Arashi by **Minion of Set**.

Naruto of the Sand by **CaptainFlye.**

Naruto of the Sand II: Vengeance of the Snake by **CaptainFlye.**

There actually also was one more… Naruto was a year older, and was put on team with Neji and Lee. Tenten was then a year younger… Never mind that :). I hope that you will find maybe just one of the three stories enjoyable.

**Chapter 7:** Her Reasons

* * *

_Kiba looked at her with disbelief. _'What just happened? I just asked her what took so long!'_ The dog-user had no idea who that girl was. She was irate ever since they set out from Konoha. And now she got angry at him for no reason at all. He had seen Naruto angry a few times before. But never at him, and never like this. He turned to Hinata, who were looking at her sapphire-eyed teammate with concern._

"_Do you know what's wrong with her? It's like she's a whole 'nother person!" he asked her, almost desperate._

_A small frown appeared on Hinata's forehead. "You mean you haven't figured it out yet?"_

"_What is there to figure out? Ever since we set out on this miss-" Kiba started, but stopped midsentence as the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. "Oh, I'm such an idiot…" he said facepalming himself._

"_No you're not." Kiba turned to see Kurenai looking at Naruto with an equally worried look. "This is probably not the best first mission for her… I wish I'd known about her relationship with Iwa before I accepted the mission…" She turned to look at Kiba. "You're not doing anything wrong – you're being yourself. She is just taking her frustrations out on you – consciously or not. Though, I don't think she would do it on purpose… She just has a lot on her mind."_

_Kiba nodded and looked over at his crush again. She was smiling again, making him smile in return. She was playing with Akamaru, who was doing an excellent job at cheering her up again. _'Atta boy'_._

* * *

"All right team, it's time to be moving on. I want to reach the Borderlands by tomorrow. We don't have to hurry, but we can't slack either," it came from the jounin-sensei.

It immediately broke Hinata and Kiba off from training the new jutsu. The Inuzuka looked over to where Naruto had sat earlier, but she wasn't there.

"Sensei, where is Naruto? I guess Akamaru is still with her."

Kurenai looked behind her to see if what Kiba said was true. She scrunched her eyebrows, "It's not like her to wander off…" She was silent for a moment as she stared at the tree the Uzumaki heiress had sat by. Then she turned to the Hyuuga member of Team 8, "Hinata."

The pale-eyed girl nodded, closed her eyes, and began the many seals for her kekkei genkai. '_I can't wait till Father will teach me to use Byakugan without so many seals…_' She settled on the final seal. "_Byakugan!_" she said as she opened her veiny and all-seeing eyes. It didn't take long to locate the Uzumaki heiress's Hokage-level chakra level – and usage with that. The clearing she was in had hints of her chakra in the air – if Hinata should guess, she would say the chakra clung to the moisture in the air. If her Byakugan was more evolved, she would probably be able to see it.

"Well?" Kiba asked just a little bit impatient. "Do you see her?"

"Hai," it came from the small Hyuuga. "She is some two hundred meters that way," she said and pointed in the right direction.

Kiba stood up and clapped his hand together. "All right then! Then I think I'll g-"

"Hinata, you should go check up on her – Kiba and I will get our stuff together," Kurenai cut him off. He was about to protest, but one look from Kurenai told him not to.

Hinata looked at the weird exchange between the two, but decided not to delve into it. "Right… Well, I'll go get her then," she said and made her way towards Naruto's and Akamaru's location. As soon as she was out of sight, she heard Kiba beginning to complain, and she speed up.

* * *

As soon as Hinata disappeared out of sight, Kiba turned towards his sensei with little more than irritating eyes. "Why the hell couldn't I go? And don't say that it's because you need me to 'clean up'. There is like three bags and a water canteen!"

Kurenai ignored Kiba's tone of voice – she knew it was because he was frustrated about Naruto, and that he wanted her to feel good again – and began 'cleaning up'.

"Kiba," she began, looking straight into his frustrated, and almost begging, eyes. "I mean this in the best way possible, but do you really think that Naruto wants to speak with you right now?

Kiba sighed deeply, "but if she doesn't even want to see me, how can I apologize to her? It wasn't on purpose that I tackled her, or that I broke her concentration…"

Kurenai smiled sympathetic on her sole male student, "I know Kiba, but you must understand that girls and boys are _very_ different on this subject. You know how boys can fight one minute, and then be friends again the next?" Kiba nodded. "Well," Kurenai continued, "girls like to hold grudges. Even I like to hold a grudge for a good six minutes. That is on other girls, when it comes to boys…"

"I can't wait till this mission is over, and Naruto will be back to normal," he muttered to himself and went to pick Akamaru up, only to realize that he wasn't there.

Kurenai smiled a sad smile to the boy. "Me too, Kiba. Me too…" she finished, drifting into her own thoughts. She had to contact Hiruzen about Naruto.

* * *

"_Suiton: Gyooshuku!_" Naruto said with her eyes locked on the water-canteen in focus. Small globes of water formed in the air above it, and became a big, forceful stream of water. But nowhere near as big as the waterfall earlier that day.

"You're getting better," Hinata commented as she petted a wagging Akamaru.

Naruto went over to the canteen, emptied it, and set it down on the same spot. "But not good enough."

"What do you mean?"

"We're going to be guarding the border to Iwa, Hinata!" the sapphire-eyed girl said harshly. But that wasn't what Hinata focused on; she could hear the desperate undertone in the sentence.

The Hyuuga heiress looked as Naruto prepared the jutsu again. '_Please be ok, Naruto. This is not like you at all. You're taking your frustrations out on Kiba, having weird mood-swings, and now you're taking your frustration out in training.'_

Naruto finished the seals. "_Suiton: Gyooshuku!_"

This time the stream was slightly smaller, but just as forceful. Again, Naruto went over to the water canteen and did as she did before.

"Naruto?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah?" she said neither soft nor harsh.

"Why do you hate Iwa so much?"

"You know why. I've already explained what they've done!" Naruto sneered and went on to prepare for her next attempt on the jutsu. This time it went worse, toppling the water canteen over. The whiskered girl went irritated over to the canteen, picked it up and poured the remaining content out, and set it down again.

"Yes, you have explained what Iwa has done to your clan, but you haven't explained why _you_ hate them," Hinata continued. She was determined to get an answer out of Naruto; she knew her friend would feel better if she just talked about it. They had been through stuff like this before – though never as serious – and it was always the same. Naruto wouldn't tell her what was wrong, why it was wrong, or how it was wrong all on the same time. Hinata always had to pull it out bit by bit.

The redheaded girl glanced over at Hinata and Akamaru, before going back to her spot. She spoke in a slightly weaker voice now, "who says that I need something more to hate them? They all but eradicated my clan, my clan's village, and my clan's country. That would be enough to push most people to hate the ones who did it."

"As true as that may be," the dark-haired girl said, "you are not most people. You don't just hate others."

Naruto flinched in that moment, where after her back slumped and she sighed. She turned to Hinata with a small smile, "You really are persistent, did you know that?"

The dark-haired girl smiled back, "It's the blessing and curse of my clan."

The tanned girl went over and sat beside Hinata. She closed her eyes and began. "When jiji announced my heritage in the Uzumaki clan when I was ten years old, a lot of people wasn't very happy about it. Even when the Uzumaki clan wasn't from Konoha, we had been the clan – and in that extension, the village – with the strongest alliance with Konoha. And because of all the help, and our sacrifice, for Konoha, we are held in almost as high regard as the Senju clan or the Uchiha clan. Well, everyone but me…"

"I received a lot of threats from villagers and shinobi alike, that if I didn't admit that I was lying, there would be consequences. There was even a petition turned in to the council, but lucky for me jiji wouldn't have any of it. Then some bright people got the _great_ idea of contacting the Shirogane clan of Iwagakure."

"The Shirogane clan? I've never heard of them," Hinata said in wonder. As the Hyuuga clan's heiress, she had been taught in the clan history. _All_ the clan's histories. No village or clan left out, no matter how small and insignificant.

"That's not a surprised," Naruto scoffed. "The Shirogane clan is master in erase their tracks in history. Before the Founding of the Hidden Villages, the Uzumaki clan also had a rival clan – almost like the Senju clan and Uchiha clan." She was silent for a moment to let it sink in. "The Uzumaki clan and the Shirogane clan… We were rivals, but we were allies. We knew each knew that the other clan was strong, and we each knew that in the world that was, we needed strong allies. We weren't rivals like Senju and Uchiha who massacred each other to the left and right. We had a friendly rivalry in skills. In the start of our alliance, we were pretty even in power; each time one of the clans made progress, then so did the other."

"But what happened then?" Hinata asked, completely taken in by the story. It wasn't often she heard clan history – or any other history for that matter – that she didn't already know. She actually quite liked to know the history of the different clans. But her father didn't need to know that; he would bombard her with even more history.

Then Hinata saw something she hadn't expected to see; a confident, almost arrogant, grin on Naruto's lips. She looked at Hinata with pride in her eyes, "we discovered fuinjutsu."

Hinata smiled; Naruto talked about the Uzumaki clan's fuinjutsu, like she, and any other Hyuuga, talked about Juukenpo. Well, the Hyuuga wouldn't be so obvious about it, but anyone who could read body language, and knew the Hyuuga, would know when they showed pride.

"The Shirogane clan laughed at us at first," the sapphire-eyed girl continued. "Fuinjutsu wasn't even discovered at that time. Sure, there were primitive explosive tags, and the rare seal, but no-one knew that it was what would be known as 'fuinjutsu'. And at first, it seemed like the Shirogane was right. We didn't get anywhere with fuinjutsu, while they made leaps in their own nin- and taijutsu. But our clan-head said that this was the way to go, so the Uzumaki clan kept researching in the arts of fuinjutsu."

"For years, we didn't get anywhere. But then Uzumaki Chiyoko-sama discovered the Uzumaki stabilizing factor. And before you ask; no, it is not that which are used in the common seal. It is to this day the best kept secret in Uzumaki clan. Only a selected few outside the clan knows it."

"From there it went fast. Our clan had well over fifty seals we hadn't been able to complete, but with Chiyoko-sama's stabilizing factor, they were soon completed, and suddenly we were leagues ahead of Shirogane. Whereas before we had been close to equal in power, now most of the power was in our hands. And the Shirogane clan didn't like it."

"Shortly before the Founding, the Shirogane clan betrayed us. In an unexpected attack they killed off close to sixty percent of our clan. They tried to steal our secrets, but, of course, our secrets were protected by seals, and Shirogane didn't get anything."

"The survivors of my clan didn't dare to use our own hideouts in fear of another attack, so we went to our only other ally – the Senju. When they heard of the betrayal of Shirogane, they lent us as much aid as they could. I don't think I have to say that we had the advantage; the seals of the Uzumaki clan fighting with Mori no Senju Ichizoku – even the Uchiha clan would have a hard time fighting off that. We outnumbered them five to one, but we only fought until they surrendered. Safe to say, that was the end of the friendly rivalry between the Uzumaki clan and the Shirogane clan."

"Not long after, maybe fifty years or so, the Senju and Uchiha signed the peace treaty and founded Konohagakure. The Senju – and some reluctant Uchiha – invited us to join them, but we decided to turn the offer down. We built our own village off of the mainland, on some small islands between what will be known as Hi no Kuni and Mizu no Kuni."

"We even offered the Shirogane to join us, but they were very bitter even after fifty years. They swore to fight us at any turn. They went to the mountains, and at a later point joined Iwagakure." Hinata let out a small gasp as the pieces were beginning to fall together. "And truth to their word, they fought us," Naruto continued, but gone was the pride and confidence, and back was the bitterness. "They were the main force behind the temporary alliance between Iwa and Kiri, and they were the main force that entered Uzu no Kuni."

"And after the Fall, it was _them_ who hunted us down. It was _them_ that made sure that we weren't able to reform." Naruto took a breath to settle of slight trembling before going on with the story. "So of course when they heard that an Uzumaki had survived, and was now living in Konoha, they weren't going to pass up the opportunity."

"The Shirogane clan came at night with two squads of jounin. They killed three chunin and two jounin before they found me. I remember hearing noises, and just as I opened my eyes, I passed out. When I came to it, I was somewhere in the forest, surrounded by people I had never met. They didn't talk to me; they just started-" Naruto began to shake a bit as she started to cry.

A much moved Hinata moved over to right beside her crying friend, and hugged her. "You don't have to say any more. I understand."

"No," Naruto said in a sob. She took another deep breath, "I have to say this. They tortured me. Slit my hands and legs up, slowly and painfully. They did it for hours. And when they were done, they plunged a kunai into my chest. I moved in the last moment so it missed my heart, but they didn't notice. Then they left me there."

"It wasn't before morning that jiji found me. The shinobi had 'forgotten' to tell him about my kidnapping, and had only focused on the dead shinobi. If it wasn't for k-" she cut herself off. "If it wasn't for my healing factor, I would most likely be dead."

Hinata looked at her friend with eyes mixed with sadness and chock. "I'm sorry Naruto. I am so, so sorry."

Naruto wiped her eyes, "so am I. But now you know why. The Shirogane clan could just as well rule Iwa, as much power they have."

Hinata didn't answer, but looked down in her lap. Akamaru was still there, but he wasn't wagging his tail anymore. He was looking straight at Naruto, who was not noticing a thing. Akamaru looked up at Hinata, and she immediately knew what he wanted. She smiled and gave him a small nod. He didn't need any more than that – Akamaru jumped straight from Hinata over to Naruto, starting to lick her face with vigor.

At first Naruto became surprised, but it wasn't many seconds that passed before she smiled, and even began to laugh lightly.

"How come," Hinata asked in amusement, "that neither Kiba-kun nor I can get you to cheer up, but Akamaru can? No offence to you of course." The last part was directed at the white puppy, but it didn't seem to mind, although that both the girls knew that it understood what was being said. Maybe not by the spoken language, but by body language, or maybe some sort of weird sixth Inuzuka dog sense.

"Truth?" Naruto half asked as she petted the warm fur of the dog. "He reminds me of Kiba. Loyal and always there – even when you don't want him to be." Hinata smiled; she had suspected it could be because something like that. Her attention returned to her friend as she continued to speak. "I just can't understand why he is acting so annoying to me all of a sudden. It's like the early academy days all over again – just now he knows my buttons and how to push them."

"Ano…" Hinata started, but didn't know to say it to her friend.

Naruto looked perplexed at the Byakugan wielder. "What?"

"It's just…" Hinata started. "No, just forget."

"Come on," Naruto said with a small smile. "What is it?"

"I just think you should give him some slack. He is trying to help you, even if it doesn't seem like it," Hinata said with her soft-spoken voice.

Naruto's eyebrows slowly moved into a small v-shape, "how can he call that help? Tackling me and ruining my concentration."

"He's a boy," was the answer from the pale-eyed girl. She didn't wait for an answer as she stood up. "Come on, Kurenai-sensei and Kiba-kun are waiting for us. I was actually send by Kurenai to pick you up… forty minutes ago."

Naruto's eyes widened. As fast as she could she stood up, still having Akamaru in her arms, and ran as fast as she could back.

* * *

After the small training session, Naruto had dried off fast enough. How couldn't she, with the sun slamming down on them and all. And while Naruto hadn't even looked in Kiba's direction, the Inuzuka didn't feel all the irritation from her being directed at him anymore. Even though she hadn't looked at sole male member of Team 8, Akamaru had gotten plenty of attention of the beautiful girl.

The first three hours after 'the incident' – as Kiba had chosen to call it – Naruto hadn't spoken a word to any of her teammates. No… that wasn't true. She _had_ spoken. She just hadn't initialized any conversations, and when she was asked about something, she gave short and direct answers. Now, it wasn't like that the 'normal' Naruto had like long heartwarming talks, but there usually was a hint of her in the words. And it she wans't even the same as she had been earlier that day. Right now, it was like she was locked inside herself, thinking or something.

And still, Akamaru had somehow wormed his way past the girls defenses, and up into her arms. To Kiba it seemed to make her feel better. He could swear that he saw hints of her smile here and there, so it must be so. So he had left her be for now.

As for what they had been doing the whole day? Training in the new jutsu they had learned. Well, Kiba and Hinata had trained in it – Naruto had kept the lead with Akamaru in her arms, and keeping lookout. Kiba knew she wasn't one who would be slacking, and even when she didn't like to train that much in company – even with Kiba and Hinata – she would do it to improve herself. So he thought it was a bit weird that she didn't train with them. He came to the conclusion that the jutsu probably took too much concentration for her to do it the same time as walking.

Kiba was the one to break the comfortable silence that had settled on their little group. He simply couldn't stand being bored anymore.

"Say, sensei, why don't you teach us another ninjutsu? Like one of those fast raiton-jutsu? Or even better – of those cutting fuuton-jutsu? Or, or-"

"No," it came softly but firm from Kurenai.

"But why not!? This is so _boring_," Kiba began to complain.

"It might be boring, but I want you to handle that jutsu better before I teach you another." She answered, but Kiba still looked rebellious to her. She sighed. "Kiba, your problem with the jutsu is that you can't hold a continued stream of chakra going for very long – you just pump chakra out in pulses."

"Yeah? But what's the problem with that? I mean, it's almost the same, isn't it?" Kiba asked innocently. Hinata began to snicker, and Naruto hid her face in her hand in embarrassment.

"Kiba," Naruto began still looking straight ahead. "The difference in streaming chakra and pulse chakra is like the difference night and day! It's two completely different things. Why can you even think that they're even remotely alike?"

Normally the Inuzuka heir would have had some cheeky comment because of her berating him, but right now he didn't care. His insides were jumping up and down in joy because she was finally talking to him again.

"I knew that…" Kiba finally muttered to himself.

Hinata looked at Naruto beside her to Kiba behind her; they were both smiling – though Kiba was much more obvious about it. '_I guess Naruto has finally cooled a bit down'_, she thought to herself.

Kurenai couldn't help to smile to herself either. Hopefully Naruto would come out of this mission without having a too hard time. She looked up in the sky to see the sun's position. It was about an hour before sunset.

She coughed lightly to get her students attention. "Team, we're going to stop for today and set up camp..

"Ano, sensei," Hinata started, getting the attention of the woman. "Why stop now? I mean, yesterday we kept going to an hour after nightfall." When Kurenai didn't answer right away, some of Hinata's shyness came rushing back for a second. She ducked her now red head, as she thought she had offended her teacher. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's not that," Kurenai answered. "Never apologize for asking. You weren't disregarding my instructions; you were trying to learn the reason behind them. There's a difference – learn it." She said the last part firmly, but there was no anger or hostility in her words.

"Hai," it came from Hinata, whose shyness went away as quickly as it had come.

"We're stopping for today now, because we will reach the borderlands tomorrow, and I want you to be rested when we reach it," the red-eyed jounin said. "And I know it's very likely that you could go on for a while longer, but this is our first C-rank mission, so I'd better be safe than sorry. From tomorrow to a few weeks ahead, we will have a strict schedule."

"Hai," the three genin answered.

"Good then," the red-eyed jounin said and started leading her team off the road, and into the half-forest-half-field that was the landscape.

* * *

"Aaaaand done!" Kiba exclaimed as he finished setting up his tent. He looked at it for a few seconds, before taking a _careful_ step back. The tent collapsed. "Aww man! Why can't this freakin' tent just stay up!" he said very irritated and started over again. He had been trying that for about half an hour now. In the meantime Naruto and Hinata had set up their own tent, picked up firewood from around the campsite, made a campfire, and were now watching Kiba struggle.

"Well done Kiba," Naruto said with a hint of amusement in her voice. She and Hinata were sitting on a log, with their backs towards the campfire, and their face towards Kiba's now collapsed tent. "So, how many tries is it now? 7th tries? 8th?"

"Shut up…" he muttered while he heard the two girls snicker. Even his dog was snickering in the redheaded girls lap.

Hinata took a breath to settle her snickering. "Kiba-kun, are you sure you don't need any help?"

"Yeah, out tent has been up for some time now. If you want, we can do it for you?" Naruto teased him.

"No, I don't need any help," he snapped, making both of the girls snicker again. "If you guys can set up your tent, then so can I."

"Ok, then," Naruto said with the amusement crystal-clear in her voice. She looked around the clearing, clearly looking for something. "When do you think Kurenai-sensei will be back?"

"I don't know," Kiba answered while struggling with the tent. "She said she was going to recon the area, didn't she?"

"Yeah, and see if she could find an animal to eat. But she left thirty minutes ago," Hinata said a little worried. "Do you think something happened to her?"

"Nah," Kiba said confidently with a tough smile. "She's a tough jounin; nothing could happen to her."

"What about another jounin?" Naruto asked Kiba with a raised eyebrow, challenging him.

He put down the tent for a second. "Well… I guess another _strong_ jounin could take her down," he said, but emphasizing strong. "But that wouldn't happen here… would it?"

"We are awfully close to the border…" Hinata said softly looking out in the dark forest, just outside the light of the warm campfire.

Naruto put Akamaru down on the ground – he looked accusingly at Naruto for removing him from his cozy spot – and dusted her skirt off. "I don't think anything has happened to her. She probably has to do something not involving us."

"Like what?" it came from the Inuzuka.

"Like sending a report to Hokage-sama. Or something like that. The point is that it doesn't concern us," the Uzumaki heir said and walked over to her tent. She was only inside for a minute, and had a scroll with her when she came out.

Kiba looked over up from his work, "what are you going to do?"

Naruto shrugged, "just train some more in fuinjutsu."

Kiba jumped up from his less comfortable spot on the ground and pointed an accusing finger on the Uzumaki clan member. "Hey! Why are you allowed to train, when I'm not!?"

"Because Naruto can train by only reading and writing, while you always have to destroy something, Kiba." The voice came from the top of tree Kiba was trying to set up his tent. They didn't have to look to tell that it was their sensei, whom jumped down right after talking. "Sorry, but I couldn't find any large animals in the area. It will be ration-bars for tonight."

Kiba sat down again, mumbling something about mean and unfair senseis, and going on a mission without any real food. Naruto shook her head with a smile and went back to her fuinjutsu. To the outside she seemed perfectly calm to both Kiba and Hinata. But Kurenai could see that she was struggling with different thoughts. And if she should take a guess, they would be about the mission.

* * *

**Authors Note:** Yaaay, I finally finished another chapter. I really enjoyed this chapter; I think it shows a lot of Naruto's weaknesses, and what she must overcome. If you hadn't already figured out, Iwa will play a role in the story, with Naruto trying to overcome her hatred of them. I actually want the Tsuchikage's granddaughter (I can't remember her name right now) to play a role as someone Naruto starts to like, and is her way of at least not hating Iwa.

I also really enjoyed writing about Shirogane clan, and the Uzumaki clan's history. And of course the Shirogane will play a part in the current arc.

And I have decided to do a small version of Nami no Kuni mission. It will still be Team 7's mission; Team 8 will just come as backup maybe half way through it.

I have also gotten some PM's about if Kakashi and Naruto is going to have some sort of relationship, and of course they are going to have that. I mean, Kakashi is Minato's student, so he feels some sort of need to protect Naruto.

Naruto and Sasuke will also have a relationship, but it will be more clan based rather than personal. So I will not do the 'Sasuke retrieval arc' – not to say that Sasuke won't go to Orochimaru; Naruto will just not be there to go on the mission. She will be away on a mission – most likely one of the movies remade.

And I'm also thinking of doing the second exam in the chunin exams different. Like, the teams are going up against each other. Or something like that.

And I must say; I'm rather looking forward to writing the 'Find Tsunade' arc – or rather how Naruto and Tsunade is going to act. Because Naruto know that the Uzumaki clan and the Senju clan is closely related and allied, and that both Naruto and Tsunade is the last of their clan (as far as Naruto know). I'm not going to tell anymore about it, but look forward to it ;)

And then to answering a question that is sure to come up sooner or later; If everyone knows she is the Uzumaki heiress, how come they don't know that Kushina is her mother? And if they do, how don't they know that Minato is her father? Well the way I see it, she could be the daughter of any Uzumaki. Hiruzen didn't tell them who her parents were; just that she was an Uzumaki. And even if they did know, I don't think that Minato and Kushina would have a very open relationship. He was the hero of the third war, and many would want him to be dead. If I was him, then I would keep my wife's name a secret.

Well, that is all I have to say for now. I really hope you will all review, because I love getting them – both the good and the bad. And _please_ if you have criticism, then be specific, whether it being a spelling mistake, a wrong constructed sentence, or you think that something is too closely related to another story.

Until Next time.

**Founding of the Hidden Villages:** What I have chosen to call… the founding of the hidden villages. Yeah, I know, big chocker. This can also be refered to as 'the Founding'.

**Mori no Senju Ichizoku - Senju clan of the forest**

**Mizu no Kuni – Land of Water**

* * *

**Posted 02-10-2012**

I just wanted to give you guys - my lovely readers - a little update on how my life - which of course involve writing.

I miss writing so much! I mean, I get to write bits and pieces of the next chapter (right now it's only on 1,8k words -.-'), but I really do have much to do.

First, school have really started up, and we get projects to do almost every day. But I feel like I'm finally getting the hang of it, and getting it scheduled so I actually DO have SOME time for myself.

But then of course, as some of you may know, the new expansion for World of Warcraft was released, and I have been using a lot of time there for myself, but also for a lot of friends in the game. But that actualyl is also starting to 'slow down'. if you can even say that.

All in all, I have been doing a lot of stuff, not related to writing. But I can just feel that I'm burning to get started again, but I can't find the time to do it. I have like a million ideas, for a million different places in the story (I have actually FINALLY figured out how I'm going to get the mission Team 8 is on to evolve in a less... plesant way).

I won't give any promises to when I will continue - but know that I will. And look forward to it ;) I have so many good (I think they are) ideas for this story.

Until next time :)

* * *

**Posted 09-09-2012**

Hey all.

Sorry if you thought this was an update :/ but I felt I should update you what was going on in my life here an now.

As I may have said before; I've started in a new school, and it's really rough. It's a bit different, as it has 200 extra hours each year, when comparing to other 'normal' schools – luckily we don't get as much homework as those other schools. But that doesn't mean that we don't get homework.

Right now I meet at 8.15 and leave school most days 15.25, and sometimes even 17.30, and when I get home I gotta do the homework that I have gotten. That doesn't leave much 'my time', and when I do, I usually don't feel like writing another chapter, when I have used the day on writing, reading, and all the other school stuff. I just gotta figure out how to do this…

But I WON'T give up the story. It might be slow – for a while – but trust me when I say that I will continue the story. I know I have had a break before in the summer holidays, so I'm actually feeling a little bad doing this to you guys again. But my education comes first. Even before sleep… and food… and all those things.

Well, that was really it.

Until next time.


	8. Her Reaction

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Macilnar:** Thanks for the name :).

I won't say anything about Naruto and Iwa, but you are right; there is a chance of her at least not hating them. I thought about making the kidnappers rape her, but I thought that was going too far. I want her to retain her 'innocence', as sappy as that sounds. And I just don't like to write a rape scene.

**Roboguy45: **While I didn't write it into the story, I, myself, believe that Hiruzen did something to track down the one who informed Iwa about Naruto. I just didn't think it was relevant, as that was not the focus at the time.

**Trishi:** Wow, thanks for the compliment ^^. It really means a lot to me.

I actually think that the mission speed is progressing fine. They've used two chapters to each the border – which if I wrote as long chapters I did in chapter 1, would only be one chapter. But I get how it can feel slow, when I have updates as little as I have. I hope to change that now :)

**YoursTruly:** Thanks for all the reviews from you :)

I also loved to write the background story for the Uzumaki clan. First I just thought it should be like a few hundred words, but it just flowed right out of me. I also really liked to write about the Shirogane clan and their relations to the Uzumaki clan. They will appear a number of times through the story, but I can't say for sure how much. But they have to make _some_ appearances to help Naruto deal with her feelings about Iwa – and further in that direction; the Shirogane clan.

**Chapter 8: Her Reaction**

* * *

"_No, I don't need any help," he snapped, making both of the girls snicker again. "If you guys can set up your tent, then so can I."_

"_Ok, then," Naruto said with the amusement crystal-clear in her voice. She looked around the clearing, clearly looking for something. "When do you think Kurenai-sensei will be back?"_

"_I don't know," Kiba answered while struggling with the tent. "She said she was going to recon the area, didn't she?"_

"_Yeah, and see if she could find an animal to eat. But she left thirty minutes ago," Hinata said a little worried. "Do you think something happened to her?"_

"_Nah," Kiba said confidently with a tough smile. "She's a tough jounin; nothing could happen to her."_

"_What about another jounin?" Naruto asked Kiba with a raised eyebrow, challenging him._

_He put down the tent for a second. "Well… I guess another strong jounin could take her down," he said, but emphasizing strong. "But that wouldn't happen here… would it?"_

"_We are awfully close to the border…" Hinata said softly looking out in the dark forest, just outside the light of the warm campfire._

_Naruto put Akamaru down on the ground – he looked accusingly at Naruto for removing him from his cozy spot – and dusted her skirt off. "I don't think anything has happened to her. She probably has to do something not involving us."_

"_Like what?" it came from the Inuzuka._

"_Like sending a report to Hokage-sama. Or something like that. The point is that it doesn't concern us," the Uzumaki heir said and walked over to her tent. She was only inside for a minute, and had a scroll with her when she came out. _

_Kiba looked over up from his work, "what are you going to do?"_

_Naruto shrugged, "just train some more in fuinjutsu."_

_Kiba jumped up from his less comfortable spot on the ground and pointed an accusing finger on the Uzumaki clan member. "Hey! Why are you allowed to train, when I'm not!?"_

"_Because Naruto can train by only reading and writing, while you always have to destroy something, Kiba." The voice came from the top of tree Kiba was trying to set up his tent. They didn't have to look to tell that it was their sensei, whom jumped down right after talking. "Sorry, but I couldn't find any large animals in the area. It will be ration-bars for tonight."_

_Kiba sat down again, mumbling something about mean and unfair sensei's, and going on a mission without any real food. Naruto shook her head with a smile and went back to her fuinjutsu. To the outside she seemed perfectly calm to both Kiba and Hinata. But Kurenai could see that she was struggling with different thoughts. And if she should take a guess, they would be about the mission._

* * *

The sky was beginning to darken in the east when Kurenai called a halt.

"What is it Sensei?" Kiba asked. He was hoping that they had finally reached the border; if he was going to spent one more day on the road, only training that suiton jutsu, he was going crazy. Sure, it helped that he was with Hinata and Naruto, and that Naruto wasn't absurdly mad at him anymore. But still… she wasn't quite herself.

Naruto just stretched and yawned lightly. While she was the most patient one on their team, she was also reaching her limit of… nothingness. But all her sloppiness disappeared when she saw her sensei's facial expression.

"Something isn't right…" Kurenai said as she tried to spot something. "Hinata?" she called out and spun around.

Naruto spun around towards her teammate, only to see the Hyuuga heir vanish before her eyes. "Sensei!" she cried out in quiet panic, and spun around only to see nothing. No Kurenai, no Kiba, and no Akamaru. She was alone. She got into her stance, and brought out her sword. She was speeding her chakra circulation up, preparing to use chakra for anything, it being channeled or ninjutsu. Just as she was about to make a kage bunshin, she felt a tug in her stomach she hadn't felt before. She didn't have much time to think over it, though, as the world shimmered around her, and her team appeared around her. Akamaru laid sleeping on the ground, while both Kiba and Hinata had a glassy look in their eyes. What shocked her most was Kurenai lying, apparently, unconscious on the ground beside her. First now she noticed that three of the trees had been replaced by figures in dark cloaks. As soon as she had noticed them, they went charged at her with kunai in their hands. She didn't think anymore, and went to act.

She quickly formed the cross-seal of her clan, "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_" Four clones appeared around her. It was clear that the strangers didn't expect that, but that didn't falter them. But it wouldn't help them a lot anymore; the Uzumaki heiress had cooled her head, and had a plan.

Three of the clones went to Hinata, Kurenai, and Kiba and Akamaru. For protection the real Naruto and one of the clones retaliated at the cloaked figures. First they tried splitting up; one of them going for the original and the clone, the others going for each their own clone. That was a mistake as the original quickly took out the one who charged at her by punching him in the stomach with most of her strength. There was a nauseating crack as his rips broke, and his eyes rolled back into his head as he sacked together. But as the original turned to the one who had went left her eyes widened. The dark figure had been fast and taken out the clone, and was now holding a limp Hinata, sagging just as if she was asleep.

What happened next was a surprise to both Naruto and the enemy; Hinata's eyes shot open, and her body twisted its way out of the captor's arms. She prepared to strike the figure with her clan's juukenpo, but was stopped before she could do it.

"That's enough, Hinata, Naruto," it came from a very awake, and a very pissed looking Kurenai. Beside her were a growling Kiba and Akamaru, both in the Inuzuka taijutsu stance.

"What do you think you're doing, Dariketsu?" the Yuhi jounin asked in a _very_ displeased voice.

The Dark figures were quickly together, making Naruto frown lightly; she thought she had taken down the middle one with the punch. As much as she had tried to hide it, they seemed to have picked it up, as they grinned at her under their hoods. Finally, the middle figure snorted and threw back his hood. Dark hair was drawn back into a short pony-tail and even darker eyes glared maliciously.

"Oh, hey Yuhi. What are you doing all the way out here on such a lovely evening?" he said with a grin plastered on his face. Then he acted as if he just now saw the three genin accompanying her. "Oh what have we here? Have they put you on babysitting duty? I feel with you, my friend."

"Cut the crap!" it came from an obvious angry Kiba. "Do you really think that we'd need a babysitter anyway?"

Dariketsu shrugged. "Well, maybe they wouldn't," he said and nodded his head towards Naruto and Hinata. "But you and your little puppy certainly do, runt."

"What did you say!?" Kiba all but screamed and crouch together. But Kurenai took a firm grip on his shoulder.

"I said that's enough, Kiba!" she said firmly. He stopped his motions, but continued to glare at the ambushers. She turned her hard, red eyes towards Dariketsy and his 'friends – telling them why she had gotten the nickname 'Ice-queen' – and pulled out a red-sealed scroll with the Hokage's stamp on. "You've been recalled to Konoha," she said in a chilling voice as he opened and read the scroll. As he got further and further, his eyes grew wider and wider. The three genin of Team 8 couldn't help but gloat at how shocked his face looked when he rolled the scroll up.

"Is this some kind of joke, Yuhi?" he asked as he handed the scroll back to her, not wanting to acknowledge its content.

"No," Kurenai replied. "The Hokage is tired of your bumbling. You're supposed to be securing the border, not provoking the Iwa shinobi for your own amusement." She paused as she looked long and hard on the three shinobi. "I wondered how something as simple as this could go so horribly wrong, but I think I finally understand. If you treat your fellow Konoha shinobi like this, how do you treat foreign Iwa shinobi?"

"Beside you, you're hardly fellow Konoha-shinobi. Not enough that they're fresh-out-of-the-academy-genin, we also have a runt from the dog yard," he said gaining another growl from Kiba, "the heir to the snob house," he continued, turning Hinata's eyes just the slightest harder, "and _her_, the _demon bitch_." As she heard 'her' name, her jaw tightened, and she fastened the grip on her sword. His eyes returned to the tokubetsu-jounin, "and you think that you and these brats are going to do a better job? Have the mission office lost its mind?" Dariketsu finished.

"We are more than sufficient to achieve our objectives," Kurenai said coolly. "We have the three best genin of this year; Kiba of heir to the Inuzuka clan, Hinata, heiress to the Hyuuga clan, and the last survivor of the Uzumaki clan."

The man to the right of Dariketsu snorted, "That _thing_ has nothing to do with the Uzumaki clan! She's tarnishing their good reputation by proclaiming her right as heiress!"

Naruto's resolve to listen to her sensei was starting to crack. Most fortunate it seemed that Kurenai was also growing tired of it.

"She isn't tarnishing her clan's name; she is carrying the name with their entire honor, and more. All of the Uzumaki clan would be proud of her – her clan's blood flows thick in her veins. Because she understand that _all_ shinobi are bound by the Hokage's word, whether they'd be in Suna, Kumo, Iwa, or anywhere on this continent.

Dariketsu's eyes narrowed as they flickered from Naruto to his teammates. He turned his head and spat. "Fine, we will report to the Hokage. Try not to get murdered in your sleep by some bloodthirsty animal," he said in a sardonic tone. "Brand, Chusei, let's strike camp and leave these 'shinobi' to their mission. The sooner we leave, the sooner we get some warm sake in us."

A wind sprang out of nowhere, causing their cloaks to flap in the mysterious breeze. Then they were gone, with only a swirling torrent of wind-blown leaves to mark their place.

"Asshole," Kiba growled through clenched teeth.

"Agreed," Hinata said, straightening out of her stance.

Naruto didn't say anything – she just scoffed and sheathed her blade

* * *

It was past midnight when Team 8 had eaten their dinner, and finally had set up the camp they were going to live in for the next weeks. Well, _almost_ the whole camp.

"You got to be freaking kidding me!" it came from an outraged Kiba. "That tent _hates_ me! It's laughing at me behind my back!"

Again, Kiba had problems with his tent, and again he refused to get any help. Even Akamaru thought it was pretty pathetic; the Inuzuka heir not being able to set up a tent. Normally Naruto would just let Kiba have his way, but he had been trying for an hour now. She rolled her eyes and got over to him.

She tapped his shoulder lightly. "Move Kiba, I'll do it."

"No! I said that I could do it myself!" he answered stubbornly

"Well, obviously you can't," the Uzumaki heiress retorted, starting getting a bit impatient with her crush. "If you don't set up your tent, you will have to sleep outside. And if you have to sleep outside, then you won't get any sleep. And finally, if you don't get any sleep, we will _all_ have to hear you complain about it tomorrow. So move!" she said, and pushed him firmly away as she said the last part. She could hear an 'oomph' from him as he landed on his behind a good one-and-a-half meters away. She was ready for him to get back to the tent, but he simply sat there. As soon as the hazel-eyed boy wasn't in the way, she began setting up the 'hellish tent' as Kiba had called it multiple times that evening.

Kiba got up from where he was pushed, and went over to the fire to sit with Hinata and Kurenai. First he didn't say anything, but both of the kunoichi knew it wouldn't last long. As they had predicted, it wasn't two minutes later that Kiba had gotten tired of starring into the fire.

"Kurenai-sensei, why are we camping so far away from the border? I thought we were supposed to guard it?" he asked in a sincere voice that surprised all of the girls – even Akamaru raised his head from his half slumber and looked at his master. This was actually a 'real' question, and not just one of his boyish complaints they were used to hearing. It was a pleasant change of pace for Kurenai.

"While it's true that we're supposed to be guarding the border, it may not be the way you think of the term 'guarding'," Kurenai answered. The red-eyed jounin found a stick and drew a line in the dirt, drawing wondering looks from both Hinata and Kiba. "Guarding a border to another country isn't like guarding a village border. In villages you have a clear border in form of a wall, river, or simply just the last building. But that isn't so at country borders – and especially borders between the Great Nations."

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked while thinking over what she had been told. "The border between Kaze no Kuni and Hi no Kuni is pretty clear: Kaze no Kuni is in the desert, and Hi no Kuni is in the forest regions. They're even separated by small countries."

"Hey, that's true!" Kiba exclaimed. "Isn't Tsuchi no Kuni and Hi no Kuni also separated by countries? Did Hokage-sama send us here as a joke or something!?"

"No, this certainly isn't a joke," Kurenai answered him in a serious tone, calming him down right away. "And you're right," she said to the pale-eyed girl, "Hi no Kuni and Kaze no Kuni is separated by several countries, and the border is pretty clear because of the geography of the land. But things are a bit more complicated when it comes to Iwa and Konoha."

"How is that so?" Kiba asked interested as Akamaru jumped up into his lap.

"Because the border is so vague," Naruto said and sat down beside Hinata. "All done," she smiled to Kiba. He looked over his shoulder, and as she said, there stood a very much erected tent. Normally his manly pride would have said something very arrogant – and probably also very stupid – but right now he was too absorbed into the occurring conversation, and just felt grateful that he had somewhere to sleep.

"What do you mean by 'vague'?" Hinata asked the sapphire-eyed girl.

Naruto looked to Kurenai. But the jounin made a motion for the girl to continue. She took a deep breath and started narrating, "After the third war, a lot of the countries between Iwa and Konoha had been damaged, or had even been outright destroyed. And while much of the fighting happened in Amegakure no Sato, the other countries didn't go untouched. One of the countries that fell never got reclaimed by the people who lived there – they didn't even return –, so Hi no Kuni and Tsuchi no Kuni each absorbed about each their own half of the country into their own territories. But the border here hasn't been established permanently, mainly because of the bad relations between us and Iwa."

"But that still doesn't explain why we don't set up camp somewhere we can actually _see_ the border," the Inuzuka boy retorted.

Kurenai looked at the three genin, "can't you think of any reasons for that?"

"Well…" the small Hyuuga started to answer. "If I was to take a guess, it would be that if Iwa crosses the border, we need to be sure that it was actually them that crossed it, and not us being on the wrong side."

"I guess that makes sense," Kiba said more to himself than anyone else. Nonetheless, Kurenai answered

"Yes, it does. You're all right."

Naruto frowned. "When we looked for a place to set up camp, we pretty much combed this part of the forest, didn't we?"

Kiba raised an eyebrow, "yeah, we did. What of it?"

"I'm just thinking," the red-haired girl started answering, "I didn't see any signs of anyone camping here – and for sure not anything that looked like a permanent campsite."

"Me neither," Hinata said, her face now also adorned with a light frown, and getting where Naruto was going with her question.

Kiba wasn't so lucky, "what are you two talking about? Why should we find any signs of old campsites in this region? Only shinobi guarding the border would…" finally he was getting where they were going.

"I see you have come to the same conclusion as I have," Kurenai said for the first time in a little while, bringing the six eyes of the genin to her. "We will most likely find Dariketsu's team's camp much closer to the border, which would explain the disputes we've had lately."

"And if he and his teammates acted towards Iwa as they acted towards us, we have our work cut out for us," Kiba said with a scowl when he remembered the episode with Dariketsu.

After Kiba's statement a silence fell over the camp. To them this didn't seem like such a simple mission as it had sounded like back in Konoha. And it certainly didn't sound like a low C-rank mission. They all wished – even Kiba with all his talk about getting a hard mission – that they would've have gotten some sort of escort mission. But they wouldn't change it now that they were here. It was the jounin-sensei of their team that broke the silence as she stood up

"It's getting late. Go get some sleep now, and we'll get up early and start patrolling."

The genin went right to their tents; Kiba sleeping alone in a tent with Akamaru, and Hinata and Naruto sharing a tent together. It wasn't five minutes later that clearly hearable snoring was the Inuzuka's tent, and bringing a small smile to the almost asleep Ice Princess.

* * *

The first three weeks at the border weren't much of a concern for Team 8, so the Inuzuka, Hyuuga, and Uzumaki heirs had had a lot of time to practice the suiton jutsu. At present time they all had a sufficient skill to use it in practice; Hinata had it perfected by the fourth day of the mission, and Kiba a half week later. Naruto, with her huge chakra reserves, used a week more before Kurenai was happy with the results. She still had to concentrate for a second or two, and the water stream was just the slightest rushed, but it didn't knock the water-canteen over, and it didn't take forever to prepare. Of course, the sapphire-eyed girl wasn't happy that she couldn't perfect it even more, but Kurenai insisted that it sufficient enough for now, and that it would be perfected with time.

Also, even with the frustration concerning the suiton jutsu, to the others, Naruto seemed to have calmed somewhat down about the whole deal with guarding the border to Iwa.

It was on the second day of the fourth week that Hinata's Byakugan picked up traces of some fast moving figures. She and Kurenai immediately changed course and contacted Kiba and Naruto over the radio. She told them to scour the area further up the border, and meet up with herself and Hinata.

It didn't take long for the jounin-sensei and genin to reach the clearing where the border had been violated. As soon as they arrived they saw four figures standing on the Iwa side of the border. Hinata re-activated her kekkei genkai and went into her clan's juukenpo stance. Quickly, Kurenai waved her hand lightly at Hinata, showing her student that there was no reason to expect hostility here. Slowly Hinata went out of the stance, though she remained alert, and kept her Byakugan active. She turned her focus on the four figures; she couldn't see much from this distance and because they were masking their appearance with chakra – they clearly recognized her clan's kekkei genkai, and knew how to deal with. But despite all that, she could still see that they all seemed to be about as high as Kurenai. Judging from their chakra reserves, there were two jounin, and two high-level chunin. But Hinata had learned not to trust chakra reserves too much – her best friend had as much chakra, if not more, chakra than the Hokage, and probably also the Tsuchikage, but 'only' had a skill set around chunin-level.

It was Kurenai who spoke first. "Have we satisfied tour curiosity?" she called out.

There was some muttering amongst them, they seemed to be discussing something. After a few seconds of that, one of the chunin stepped forward. Kurenai and Hinata was both surprised that the girl was around Hinata's age. The girl had short, black hair and pupil-less, pink eyes. She was wearing the standard attire of the Iwa-nin consisting of a red uniform with her right sleeve missing and a lapel over her right leg, the brown Iwagakure flak jacket, fishnet tights and a skirt over them. She was also wearing a regular shinobi sandals and a pair of gloves.

"Kind of," the girl replied with an authority, and a little arrogance, that again surprised both of the Konoha-kunoichi. As she spoke, the other three Iwa-nin stepped forward; two of them were dressed in tans and neutral grey, and the lower portions of their faces were covered as well. The third was dressed differently – something clan-specific probably. He was wearing the common outfit for Iwa-nin, but had a clan crest sown across the right side of the chest. To Hinata the crest simply looked like two lightning-bolts that stroke each other. Kurenai frowned; she hadn't seen or even heard about a clan with a crest like that. And as far as she knew, Iwa wasn't too fond of clans – they preferred their shinobi to be directly loyal to the Tsuchikage, and not through a clan leader.

The girl scratched her ear with her little-finger as she spoke again, "I was wondering why we hadn't seen any action the last few weeks. Seems like the fun guy got recalled, huh?"

"Hai," Kurenai answered with an authority she rarely used. "Hokage-sama grew tired of the small… incidents that have been along this part of the border, and wanted some more order. Dariketsu-san was recalled for that very reason."

"That's really too bad," one of the face-covered Iwa-nin called. He had a deep rumbling voice, which was very unsettling to Hinata for reasons unknown to her. "He and his team were so fun to bait… if not a bit too predictable."

"So, he was recalled, huh?" the Iwa clan-member laughed. "And Konoha thinks that a sole _kunoichi_ with a genin in tow can do it better? I'm somewhat insulted." The Iwa kunoichi didn't seem to like the way that her teammate used the word 'kunoichi' – even if it was meant for an opposing village –, but she didn't do anything about it. Hinata had to remind herself again that Iwa and Konoha was very different from each other.

"As I said, Hokage-sama don't want any more 'incident's'," Kurenai said firmly. "We are not here to compete with you, Iwa." She paused to think about how much she should say, but before she could say anything, the remaining members of Team 8 appeared from the trees about ten meters to the left of Kurenai and Hinata.

"We couldn't find any intruders east of here," Kiba called as he, Akamaru and Naruto jumped the last few branches to reach their teacher and teammate. "But I guess it's because you guys already met our… visitors."

Naruto stood straight up with pride as always. "So, have they explained what they were doing on this side of the border?" she asked fully encased in her mask.

Again, Kurenai didn't get time to answer as a major amount of killer intent exploded from the Iwa side of the border. All four members of Team 8 turned their full attention towards the Iwa-nin. It was the clan-member who was now being held back by the other three Iwa shinobi – who looked just as chocked as Team 8 felt.

For the first time since she arrived, Naruto got a good look at the Iwa-nin. Her eyes settled at the shinobi who were radiating the killer intent. It took her about two seconds to notice the crest, after which all the shinobi in the clearing was surprised by another – but just as strong – killer intent. Akamaru covered an whimpered, and Kiba and Hinata almost jumped in freight as the source was just beside them.

Kurenai looked in chock and fear as Naruto drew her blade, "Iwa! So this is your real intent in guarding the border? How dare you to bring one of _them_ so near Konoha's borders, after what they did only a few years ago!?"

"How dare _we_!? How dare you, _Uzumaki bitch_, to even get near the border of Iwa!?" the Iwa clan-member yelled back, spitting the name 'Uzumaki' out like it was the deadliest venom in the world.

None of the other shinobi, neither Konoha nor Iwa shinobi, seemed to know how the two knew each other. That is, everyone but the Hyuuga heiress. She threw a desperate look at Kurenai, who nodded back right away, knowing what Hinata was about to do. She looked to Kiba, who looked her right in the eye to say 'do it!'

"Back into the trees!" Kurenai ordered.

Hinata set in action right away; faster than Naruto could react, the Hyuuga took out five of Naruto's major tenketsu, leaving her limp and chocked. Kiba quickly got under the falling Uzumaki and caught her, jumping into the trees with her on his back. Akamaru caught Naruto's falling blade, and jumped in after his partner. Not half a second later, the last two Konoha-nin was gone from the clearing.

As they skipped through the canopies of the forest, Naruto got over the chock, and started struggling.

"Let me go, mutt!" she yelled at the Inuzuka. "Can't you see that they meant to do this from the start!? They can't get away with this!"

Kiba didn't answer – he only worried about following his sensei's orders, and getting Naruto as far away from that clearing as possible.

When she noticed that he wasn't slowing down, but actually speeding up, she started kicking him with her one moveable leg. "Let! Me! Go!"

"Naruto!" Kurenai said with all the authority she could muster. "Get it together! You almost cost us the mission right now!"

That seemed to hit home, as Naruto stopped struggling right away and shut up. Her mood didn't seem to change though.

As they ran away from the clearing, Hinata sped up until she was in the front. She had her kekkei genkai activated to look out for any ambushes or traps on their path. Kurenai had fallen back behind the genin, ready to take on the Iwa-nin if they had followed them – she wasn't about to let one of her students take the first hit. In the middle was Kiba and Akamaru sniffing the air for any foreign scents, and carrying a _very_ seething but silent red-haired girl.

Kurenai led them back and forward through the forest, taking many detours to be sure they weren't pursued. To her relief, they didn't meet anything but some frightened animals, so they could finally return to the camp.

"What the hell was that!?" Kiba all but yelled at Naruto after laying her on the ground. Akamaru went over to Naruto's tent and laid her blade there, while Hinata quickly went over and released Naruto of her numbness.

The whiskered girl ignored Kiba and looked very accusingly at Hinata. "I can't _believe_ that you used your juukenpo on me!"

"Naruto, calm down." The genin turned to see their sensei looking very disappointedly and worried at Naruto. "Hinata and Kiba did what they had to do to prevent things from erupting to anything worse. Now, I hope you have a really good explanation of what happened."

"What happened was what I said would happen!" Naruto said angrily. "_Iwa_ happened!"

"Naruto-kun," Hinata said in a soothing voice. "The shinobi with the lightning crest on his uniform… was that one of the Shirogane?" Naruto flinched slightly at the name, giving the others all the answers they needed.

"The Shirogane? Who are they? Are they a clan from Iwa?" Kiba asked confused and concerned for Naruto. If she was _this_ mad at them, they couldn't be any good.

"The Shirogane was behind the murder of several Shinobi almost three years ago," Kurenai said as a matter of fact. "But I don't see their connection with Naruto."

Hinata sighed and looked Naruto in the eyes. The sapphire-blue eyes were almost screaming on her not to tell them anything, but she knew her responsibilities. She took a deep breath and began telling both Kiba and Kurenai about the Shirogane clan. All the while she felt like she was betraying the very essence of hers and Naruto's friendship, and could see that Naruto felt like she had been stabbed in the back by a kunai.

When she finished Akamaru was growling and Kiba was sneering. "If I had known that before we met that _Iwa-nin_, I would gladly have joined Naruto."

"Which is why it's very good that you didn't know anything about it," Kurenai answered with a disgusted face. She couldn't blame how Kiba felt – and certainly not how Naruto had felt. But the whiskered girl shouldn't have reacted like that, no matter what. They were on a mission dealing with another country. But there was nothing they could do about it now. They would just have to hope for the best and stick it out until their replacement would come in a few weeks.

* * *

**Authors note:** What? An update already? Can it be?

Yeah, I want to try to make up for lost time :) So I hope you liked this chapter. Things are heating up as you can see, and there was even some hurt between Hinata and Naruto. I have felt the last couple of chapters that I have kind of made her into the third wheel – which I really don't want to happen. While Naruto and Kiba is a big thing in this story, Hinata is also a member of Team 8, and is friends with Kiba, and best friends with Naruto.

I know I could've skipped the campfire scene in the start, and the whole thing about the border between Tsuchi no Kuni and Hi no Kuni, but I had to do it for me. When you look at a map over the Elemental Continent, Tsuchi no Kuni and Hi no Kuni doesn't share a border, and I couldn't live with that. I know I probably should've thought about it before I started that mission, but I didn't – we all make mistakes, and this was one of mine. So bare with me, please.

And then next chapter there will finally be fighting – yaaay – and the aftermath (depending on the length of the fighting). While I do want the fighting scene to have some substance, I don't want to make the whole three to four-thousand words fight. Team 8 will also go to Nami no Kuni to help Kakashi and Team 7, and there will be the battle of the bridge. With eight Konoha shinobi being there – but most likely not all being on the bridge – there will be some hell of a fight there. So I hope you guys will like it :).

And please do leave a review – I love them so very much. As I said; I write for myself, but that doesn't mean that I don't like your praise and criticism in form of the reviews – they help me evolve as an author.

Until next time (which hopefully won't be very long time)

**Kaze no Kuni – Land of wind**

**Hi no Kuni – Land of Fire**

**Tsuchi no Kuni – Land of Earth**

**Amegakure no Sato – The Village Hidden by Rain**

**Nami no Kuni – Land of Waves**


	9. Her Skills

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Gruffard:** While Kurotsuchi and Naruto very likely will have some kind of bond, I will not have it replacing the bond she and Gaara eventually will have. I can't even see how that would happen, as Gaara and Naruto can understand each other since they're both jinchuuriki. And Kurotsuchi is not. But Kurotsuchi is very likely to make more appearances, and maybe be the bridge Naruto needs to… at least understand Iwagakure.

**Macilnar:** Yeah, I guess you could see it that way. The way I'm seeing it, is that Naruto was very angry – or outright furious – but that isn't enough to draw the Kurama's chakra for the first time. As the saying goes 'the first time is the hardest'. Or something like that anyway.

In canon it took a outright devastated Naruto before the seal began to crack, so that's the way I will do it. I'm guessing many of you already have guessed how, but that's how it's going to be.

But after the seal has 'cracked' it will be easier to access Kurama's chakra, and a lot of changes are going to happen.

**Roboguy45:** You'll have to read the chapter to get an answer ;)

**Guest:** Read Authors Note to get an answer :)

**Greatness Alone:** Yeah, I think it's great too, them learning 'new' jutsu and all that. To be honest, I don't know why they haven't done anything more of it in the manga. I mean, it's almost a handicap ONLY to know your own clan's jutsu. More jutsu means more ways to handle a problem. And while I will do 'different jutsu', there will be a couple of jutsu there will be very similar to what they can do in the manga. Possibly something they have developed themselves?

And yeah, finally another fighting scene :) it's been a while since I've written one of those, so I hope I don't disappoint you. And while this will be the climax of this arc, please do remember that Team 8 will also go to Nami no Kuni and fight at the bridge – and they will be more experienced there. I just hope I don't disappoint anyone with the fighting scene xd.

**Chapter 9:** Her Skills

* * *

"_What the hell was that!?" Kiba all but yelled at Naruto after laying her on the ground. Akamaru went over to Naruto's tent and laid her blade there, while Hinata quickly went over and released Naruto of her numbness._

_The whiskered girl ignored Kiba and looked very accusingly at Hinata. "I can't _believe_ that you used your juukenpo on me!"_

"_Naruto, calm down." The genin turned to see their sensei looking very disappointedly and worried at Naruto. "Hinata and Kiba did what they had to do to prevent things from erupting to anything worse. Now, I hope you have a really good explanation of what happened."_

"_What happened was what I said would happen!" Naruto said angrily. "_Iwa_ happened!"_

"_Naruto-kun," Hinata said in a soothing voice. "The shinobi with the lightning crest on his uniform… was that one of the Shirogane?" Naruto flinched slightly at the name, giving the others all the answers they needed._

"_The Shirogane? Who are they? Are they a clan from Iwa?" Kiba asked confused and concerned for Naruto. If she was _this_ mad at them, they couldn't be any good._

"_The Shirogane was behind the murder of several Shinobi almost three years ago," Kurenai said as a matter of fact. "But I don't see their connection with Naruto."_

_Hinata sighed and looked Naruto in the eyes. The sapphire-blue eyes were almost screaming on her not to tell them anything, but she knew her responsibilities. She took a deep breath and began telling both Kiba and Kurenai about the Shirogane clan. All the while she felt like she was betraying the very essence of hers and Naruto's friendship, and could see that Naruto felt like she had been stabbed in the back by a kunai._

_When she finished Akamaru was growling and Kiba was sneering. "If I had known that before we met that _Iwa-nin_, I would gladly have joined Naruto."_

"_Which is why it's very good that you didn't know anything about it," Kurenai answered with a disgusted face. She couldn't blame how Kiba felt – and certainly not how Naruto had felt. But the whiskered girl shouldn't have reacted like that, no matter what. They were on a mission dealing with another country. But there was nothing they could do about it now. They would just have to hope for the best and stick it out until their replacement would come in a few weeks._

* * *

Nothing happened the next few days – but that didn't help Team 8 to be very much on guard. While it had been the enemy who had initiated this whole ordeal, Naruto's reaction hadn't helped at all. After what Hinata had told Kiba and Kurenai, they could at least understand her reaction. But Kurenai knew this was something they really had to work with.

The first two days after the confrontation, the Uzumaki heiress wouldn't talk to her Hyuuga counterpart. She really did feel betrayed by the pale-eyed girl – something that normally would stay between the two of them, had been exposed to the whole world. Ok, maybe not the whole world, but it wasn't kept a secret. Then again; the circumstances were a lot different from home in Konoha. Now that she had cooled off, and was in her normal rational mindset, she could see that. And she could see that what Hinata and Kiba had done had been necessary at the time – if they hadn't done anything, she might've charge in without thinking of the consequences. This could be the first of many events that lead to a new war. If that had happened, she didn't know if she would be able to forgive herself. But even if she understood the situation and reactions, didn't mean she had to like it. She would need to have a talk with Hinata once they were back in Konoha.

But for now she had to focus, and not let her anger and hatred of Iwa and the Shirogane clan get the best of her. She was Uzumaki Naruto, heiress of the Uzumaki clan, and she wouldn't have stories told of how on her very first real mission she screwed up, and almost created an international incident. She needed to keep her focus in the present.

And in the present she was patrolling the border alongside Hinata, Kiba, Akamaru, and Kurenai. After what happened, Kurenai wouldn't let them split up, and leave them vulnerable for an attack. She thought it would be much better to patrol together – Safety in numbers and all the crap. Hinata was running in front scanning the area with her Byakugan, and Kiba and Akamaru were running behind her, sniffing the air and ground for any traces of enemies. Behind the two of them was Naruto; she was their counterattack. If either the pale-eyed girl or the dog-boy sensed an enemy approaching, she would be their first line of attack. Kurenai took the rear guard. With her speed she could reach the front in a fraction of a second if it was needed.

It was a half week after the dispute that Hinata's Byakugan picked up three figures on the other side of the border. She frowned.

"Sensei," the kekkei genkai wielder said just loud enough for the jounin to hear.

"Hinata? Do you see anything?" Kurenai asked slowly but surely getting combat ready.

"Hai, sensei. Three figures have just appeared on the other side of the border. And I mean _barely_ on the other side of the border," the dark-haired girl answered. "But it's weird. I only recognize one of the chakra-signatures. It isn't the same team as we met four days ago."

"Kiba, can you and Akamaru confirm that?"

The Inuzuka clan-member and his partner focused their chakra in their noses. "Hai," he answered as a sneer appeared on his face. "I don't recognize two of the scents, but…" he looked worriedly at Naruto. "The last scent is from the Shirogane clan member."

"Grrrr," Akamaru growled, showing he agreed with his human partner.

The Yuhi shinobi sighed. Of course this was going to get worse. "Ok, as long as they don't get into Hi no Kuni terr-"

"They just passed the border!" Hinata hissed. "And they're moving towards our position – fast! They're coming from north-east, but seem like they're moving around us."

Team 8 stopped their patrolling right away, and jumped to the ground. Naruto grabbed her blade and drew water from the air to coat it. Hinata got into her juukenpo stance, and Kiba got into the Inuzuka taijutsu stance, with Akamaru on his back.

"Ok, get into combat positions! This is what you have trained for! Kiba, Akamaru you…"

Naruto frowned as the jounin-sensei's voice got slurred. She looked over her shoulder to check on her teacher, but she wasn't there. Again. Before she could do anything, she felt the same tug in her belly she had felt when they had encountered Dariketsu. The world shimmered around her, and Kurenai appeared beside Hinata and Kiba. She had her index and middle fingers on their forehead.

"Kai," it came from her, and the two genins cloudy look became confused, and then serious.

"That was genjutsu, wasn't it?" Naruto asked, now even more aware of her surroundings.

"Hai, and a strong one at that. They got Hinata, a Hyuuga clan member – even if you _are_ still a genin. It even took me a split second to notice that I had been caught in one," Kurenai answered in a grave voice. She frowned at looked at the Uzumaki, "How did you escape the genjutsu? I didn't feel any spike or disruption in your chakra."

Naruto didn't get any time to answer, however, as the three figures in question appeared on about ten meters in front of them, up in the tree.

- With the Shirogane clan members -

"Hmm… Hiro-kun, I thought you casted a genjutsu on them," it came from the one standing on the right.

"I did," the male to the left answered. He took a closer look at Team 8. Then he hissed, "Tadashi! Why didn't you tell us that Ketsugoo Gensoo no Yuhi Kurenai was with them!? No wonder my genjutsu didn't work!"

The middle one, apparently Tadashi, didn't answer his teammate right away. He was holding his eyes on one person – one Uzumaki Naruto. And it wasn't a one-way interaction – if Naruto's glare could burn through Tadashi, it probably would. "Only a minor setback, Hiro-san, Sayuri-san," he finally said. "I guess we will just have to ask them to give her to us."

Sayuri hissed, "why not just attack them!? As Hiro-kun said, Mabayui Gensoo no Yuhi Kurenai is with them! And by the looks of it, the little girl is a Hyuuga."

Hiro narrowed his eyes, "That isn't just any Hyuuga, Sayuri-chan." Both Sayuri and Tadashi looked at him with the same question burning in their eyes. He smiled at them, "That is Hyuuga Hinata, the current clan heir to the Hyuuga clan!"

Sayuri almost couldn't hold her laughter back, "See, Tadashi! Just imagine all the glory we would get back at Iwagakure if we didn't only take out the last Uzumaki, but also Mabayui Gensoo no Yuhi Kurenai, and the heir to the Hyuuga clan!"

"I said _no_!" it came dangerously from Tadashi. The other two shut up right away. "We came here to kill the Uzumaki, and no one else. We failed at killing her once – that won't happen again. We mustn't be distracted by the other shinobi!" He cleared his throat preparing to call out their Konohan counterpart. "Konoha! Give us the Uzumaki clan member, and none of you will get hurt!"

- With Team 8 -

All of Team 8 tensed at the… request the enemy proposed. Hinata looked at the enemy with narrowed eyes. This wasn't just any Iwa team – all three members were decorated with the very same clan crest she had seen for the first time only four days ago. She tensed up; there could only be one reason why they would come here. She began to speak in a lowered voice, "They're all of the-"

"The Shirogane clan," Kiba finished her sentence in a low growl. "And that means that there is only one reason why they're here. They're after-"

"They're after Naruto," Kurenai finished. She couldn't believe that this was happening. And on their first mission outside the village, too! Why couldn't they just had gotten a nice little escort mission from some merchants. They would have finished the mission in about three weeks, and nothing more than the ordinary bandit raid would have happened. They would have returned to Konoha, gotten their pay checks, and would've done some more D-rank's before getting a new C-rank. But _noooo_. Team 8 _had_ to be the best of their year, and because of that Hiruzen, generous old Hokage, had to give them a mission to guard the border to Iwa.

Kurenai was shaken from her thoughts as Naruto began to speak.

"They can just try. I will remind them why they should fear the Uzumaki clan!" When she spoke, it was in a dangerous low hiss, that neither of her teammates had heard her speak in before. But that didn't mean that either of them wouldn't set their lives on the line for their friend – they knew the redhead would do the same in less than a heartbeat.

"And we will show them that the Uzumaki clan doesn't stand alone," Hinata said in such confidence the other hadn't expected to hear just a year earlier.

Kiba grinned, "The Shirogane clan won't be too happy to hear that the seal masters of Uzu have gotten two major clans in Konohagakure as their allies."

"Auf auf!" Akamaru barked in agreement.

Even in the situation they were currently in, Kurenai couldn't help but swell with pride. She smiled dangerously at the Shirogane clan members, "You're right. It's not like we're going to just give up out future Hokage, is it? Let us show them why Konoha is the strongest village.

- With the Shirogane clan members -

Sayuri laughed with a gleam in her eye. "I guess I get my way after all. Big chocker there, wouldn't you say Hiro-kun?"

"Yeah, 'coz it isn't like you get your way all the time anyway, Sayuri-chan. Though, this time I don't mind at all," Hiro said with a dark smirk, and the same gleam in his eyes as his clan-sister.

Tadashi growled, "I guess there's no choice then. Let's go."

With that the three Shirogane clan members charged towards Team 8 of Konohagakure no Sato.

- With Team 8 -

"Here they come," Hinata said.

Kiba grinned fiercely, "We got this. Akamaru!" There was a poof of smoke and a second Kiba appeared in Akamaru's place. And they charged, "_Gatsuuga_!"

Tadashi grinned, "Do they really think that something like that would take us out? Sayuri! Hiro! Split up! And remember who our target is!"

"Hai," both of them answered. But Tadashi didn't seem to hear them; he was busy going through a short sequence of seals. When he was done he took a deep breath, after which he expelled a short burst of air, pushing him out of the way of Kiba's and Akamaru's spinning jutsu and into the canopies of the forest again. As soon as Tadashi was out of sight, Sayuri stepped on Hiro, pushing herself onto a branch of a nearby tree, while Hiro was pushed downward towards the ground. He spun in the air at the last second, and landed on the grassy ground, avoiding the Gatsuuga.

Kiba and his partner stopped their spinning and landed on the branch the Iwa-nin had stood on only moments before. He was smirking; his goal was completed. Now they were separated. He nodded to Kurenai, who nodded back.

"Naruto, go after the one in the canopies. I'll take care of the one on the forest floor. Hinata, you and Kiba will take care of the kunoichi. Go!" Kurenai ordered.

- With Naruto and Tadashi -

Naruto made sure she had a connection with the water on her blade before she set off. She jumped up into the closest tree and began searching through the canopies. She didn't have to search for long as she heard the leaves rustle above her. The Uzumaki heiress only had time to look up a second before the big Iwa-jounin came crashing down on her back. He was knee first and hit her in the middle of her spine, making her exhale sharply.

"Take that, Uzumaki scum!" Tadashi growled.

Naruto could see the ground close in on her very fast. '_I need to… get this big loaf off of me!_' she thought to herself. With all the might she could muster and rolled out from under Tadashi, greatly surprising the Iwa-nin. She appeared above him for a brief second, before kicking him with her heel with all her might

"Urgh!" he spat out. The kick had easily tripling his speed towards the ground.

The whiskered girl used the momentum she had gotten to launch herself towards a tree, where she grabbed on to a branch, and slung herself onto a lower one. "You need to be better than that, Shirogane _traitor_!" she sneered at him just before he crashed.

CRASH!

Not three seconds later the Shirogane clan member easily stood up and dusted his pants off, "not bad – For an Uzumaki that is."

Up in the tree Naruto stood with widened eyes. '_How!? I kicked him as hard as I could! That should have a broken a few bones! But he acts like he was just slapped across the back!_' She looked closer to the crater the two of them had created. She narrowed her eyes; in all the hours she had trained, she had never seen a crater like that. Sure; there was a hole in the ground, but there wasn't big floppy pieces of earth and rock. It was mostly small earth grains lying in there. '_I see,_' she thought to herself, '_so he must've used a ninjutsu_.'

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you're a fuuton user," it came from the Uzumaki after she had reached that conclusion.

"Hn," the brawly man grinned, "I guess there will be a little fun in this. Not like the last time we came."

Naruto's eyes narrowed dangerously as she hissed, "_what_!?"

That only made the Iwa-nin laugh more, "Yeah, that's right! I was with the group who tried to kill you two years ago! I still hear your lovely scream in my dreams!"

"YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!" Naruto screamed. She quickly went through some very familiar seals while molding what others would think to be a large amount of chakra. "_Suiton: Mizurappa!_" She put her right hand to her mouth and blew. Out came a far larger than normal _Suiton: Mizurappa_ jutsu hurling towards the Iwa-nin. To Naruto it felt good after trying to hold back her chakra for so long.

To say that Tadashi was surprised was an understatement. From what information his clan had gathered, this girl should only be just under thirteen years old. So, by Konoha's standard Academy Rules, she should have only just graduated as a genin. But here she was, apparently only a genin – the only thing that spoke against that statement, was that she was using a suiton jutsu with the expertise of a seasoned chunin, or fresh tokubetsu-jounin. He watched in dread as the large torrent closed in on him.

CRASH!

Naruto didn't let her guard down, and held her katana in position to either block or attack. She kept her calculating eyes at the now hazy forest-floor. Her left eye caught sight of fast moving objects, and moved her katana in position. She dodged one of the kunai by jumping down to another branch, and blocked the remaining three shuriken in mid-jump. As soon as she had landed, she reached with her free hand for her shuriken-holder. She brought out two shuriken, but before she could throw them, she saw the figure of her enemy jump out the haze, up onto the branches, and into the forest.

"Don't think you're getting away that easily, Shirogane-teme!" she yelled after him and charged after him.

- With Hinata, Kiba and Akamaru -

Kiba was ducking under a kunai swipe from the Shirogane kunoichi when he heard the second crash in a relatively short time from the direction where Naruto was fighting. For just a second he looked worried in the direction, but that was enough for the Shirogane clan member. She brought her hand back and made a stabbing motion towards Kiba.

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata exclaimed. As fast as she could she hurried between her teammate and the enemy. "_Shotei_!" she said as she whirled around, and hammered her right palm-heel up into the Iwa-nin's arm, effectively deflecting the attack.

Sayuri hissed and made a retreat a couple of meters back. She looked at her now sore arm. Sure enough, there was a big red patch just above her elbow. But most fortunate for her, the Hyuuga heiress seemed to have been more concerned with deflecting her own attack, than to damage her chakra system. Most fortunate indeed. '_The boy and his dog I can handle, but that girl is getting more and more troublesome_,' Sayuri thought to herself while she observed the Hyuuga girl check on her teammate. '_It will just take on perfect strike for her to paralyze me completely._'

"Kiba-kun, are you all right?" Hinata asked, her kekkei genkai pulsing in activation.

"I think so," Kiba said, still glancing in the direction Naruto must be in. "It's just-"

Hinata knew what he was going to say, and answered in advance. "Naruto-kun is fine. And you know how skilled she is; she won't go down without a fight."

"I know," Kiba said, not really looking any better. "But you saw how she reacted to the guy just a few days ago. She lost it completely." Akamaru whimpered; it was evident that he had the same thoughts as his partner, and were just as concerned for the whiskered girl he had grown up around – despite her weird smell.

Before Hinata could encourage Kiba and Akamaru any more, the attention of all the shinobi, at least partially, was drawn to a shout between the trees.

"_Suiton: Mizurappa!_"

The two present Shirogane clan members reacted as their leader had when they saw the jutsu. Even Team 8 was impressed by the size of the suiton jutsu. It blasted through the middle of a tree, and well over the half-clearing they were in, bringing branches, leaves, and anything there had been in the tree. But it became clear to all that it had missed its target, as Tadashi jumped down from the canopy of said tree, and jumped into the forest again. Right after he had disappeared, the sapphire-eyed Uzumaki appeared on same branch. For just a second her eyes connected with Kiba's. And in that second they changed from the uncommon furious ones, back to her normal calculating ones. And then she was gone again.

Hinata hadn't missed the exchange. "See, you have nothing to worry about."

The fanged boy took a deep breath, "You're right. She wouldn't make the same mistakes twice. She never does… well, almost never. Not anything that is as important as this." Akamaru growled at their enemy, getting the two genins attention back at the enemy. She was charging again. "Let's do this, Hinata," he said through his fierce grin.

The pale-eyed Hyuuga nodded confidently back at him, "Hai!"

- With Kurenai and Hiro -

Kurenai made half the ram seal with her right hand, converting some of her chakra into an electric current. She sent it down into her left palm, and further into the kunai she was holding. It was enough for Hiro to wince and jump back in surprise, as the current travelled over in his kunai, and down to his hand. He opened and closed the hand, not taking his eyes of the Konoha-jounin, trying to get the numbness to disappear.

"Ok, you got me. I'm impressed," it came from the Iwa-nin as he looked straight at the red-eyed jounin. "You clearly got skill yourself, Ketsugoo Gensoo no Yuhi Kurenai." Kurenai couldn't help but smile as he used the name she had gotten in the Bingo Book. "And clearly your genins aren't to shappy either," he finished, glancing at Hinata and Kiba fighting Sayuri, and the big, wet hole that Naruto made in one of the trees. "Even the Uzumaki-teme…"

Kurenai snorted, "I guess you should've thought of that before you attacked unprovoked."

Hiro shot Kurenai a death-glare. "We weren't unprovoked. An Uzumaki has nothing to do so close to the border."

"It seems to me that it's you who have no business near the border," Kurenai sneered back, defending her prized student. "I can't believe that Iwa gave their approval of this assassination." As she didn't get any answer, but just plain silence, her eyes widened. "You _didn't_ get approval of this, did you? That's why you tried to get us to just give up Naruto."

"None of your business!" Hiro screamed at her, charging again. She brought up her kunai even more, and made to counter-attack.

- With Naruto and Tadashi -

'_Arigato, Kiba_.' It had been like getting a bucket of cold water in the head when she had seen Kiba's eyes. They were full of worry – for her. And it had reminded her that she wasn't alone in this, and that there were people setting their lives on the line and counting on her. _Her_ people were setting their lives on the line, and counting on _her_. She just couldn't let them down. She had to win this one – and without any of them getting hurt.

Tadashi sneered. It was clear the girl had calmed down, and the attacks had become sparser because of that – but they had also become way more precise. He had had more than a few close calls. '_I need to finish this soon. If this continues she will soon hit me… Damn her! Damn the Uzumaki clan! Why'd she had to be so good!? I need to finish this now… Less I want to be interrupted by… Never mind them_.'

"_Suiton: Mizurappa!_" it came from behind him. He could feel the air getting pushed away as the water torrent came flying by him with great force, only missing him by mere inches. It crashed into a tree, making it sway and creak under the force. He furrowed his brows; this couldn't go on. He needed to find a place to fight her, but it couldn't be too far away from Hiro and Sayuri. And neither could it be too close, since her teammates could interfere. That's when he saw a clearing between the trees. It was just over a hundred meters away from the other members of the Shirogane. He dodged three shuriken from the whiskered girl, and jumped down there, landing in the middle of said clearing.

Naruto landed at the edge, only the slightest winded by the long chase. "Getting tired are we, Shirogane-_teme_?" she asked with a confident smirk.

Tadashi snorted, "No, I'm just getting tired of our little 'game'." He went through seals, "I think it's time to change the gaming field! _Fuuton: Kami Oroshi_!"

The wind around Tadashi began whirl around him. Soon it was picking non-existing dust up from the grassy forest floor, making Naruto shield her face. And he fired it. Naruto, being as fast as she was, dodged it. But just barely. Tadashi smirked, as he went through the same seals, "Now that our roles have switched, little mouse, I think this will become a lot more fun – for me at least. _Fuuton: Kami Oroshi_!"

- With Hinata, Kiba and Akamaru, and Sayuri -

"_Yasei no Kyoda_!" Kiba's nails grew by two centimeters in length and became visibly thicker. He charged in just as Hinata jumped back. They didn't let Sayuri rest; the second Hinata retreated, Kiba took her place, forcing the Iwa-nin to adapt her defense to the new taijutsu style. It was a necessary strategy, since their enemy had both more experience and skill. And it worked; Sayuri had at least five closed tenketsu, and her left calf muscle had been damaged so much by Akamaru, that she was forced to rely more on her right leg. Though, the genin of Team 8 hadn't gone completely unscathed through the ordeal; both of the clan heirs and the ninken had gotten minor bruises and injuries here and there, but nothing that left them at a disadvantage.

CREEAAK! CRASH!

Hinata and Kiba had to concentrate to not fall on their butts, or even off of the tree. Even the Shirogane kunoichis concentration seemed to falter for a moment. Akamaru saw this as an opening and charged in. He jumped, flipped in the air, and gave Sayuri a hard kick in the stomach. The kunoichi almost fell from the force as the air was pushed out from her lungs. Akamaru jumped back to his partner's side.

"Hinata!" Kiba said with an edge in his voice. "What was that?"

Hinata didn't answer right away, but searched the area with her clan's kekkei genkai. Soon enough she saw Naruto and her opponent. They were now fighting in a not so small clearing – it was evident that it had once been natural, but the edge was littered with trees of all sizes. There was one tree that was especially big; probably the one that had created the 'small' earthquake-like tremors. She was interrupted in her search when she had to dodge Sayuri's attacks.

"Well?" Kiba asked.

"I think Naruto is in trouble," Hinata said with a small amount of worry in her voice. "We need to finish her off so we can go help her."

Sayuri laughed before Kiba could answer. "Do you really think it will be that easy to 'finish me off'? You got to be kidding yourselves!" Kiba growled in response.

"Kiba-kun," Hinata said with her soft but stern voice. "I'm going to use _that_ jutsu."

The Inuzuka heir nodded at her, knowing right away what she was talking about. "Got it. I'll keep her busy. Just… hurry. We can't let that bastard touch Naruto." And then he charged with his ninken partner at his side.

"Hai!" Hinata said and got down on one knee, closed her eyes, and settled her hands in the ram seal.

- With Naruto and Tadashi -

CRASH!

Naruto dodged another one of Tadashi's fuuton ninjutsu. She was getting really tired of this. It was time to use… _it_.

"Enough of this!" She said and went through hand seals that Tadashi had learned very well through this fight. It didn't stop him from finishing his jutsu. Both of them inhaled, and-

"_Suiton: Mizurappa!_"

"_Fuuton: Kami Oroshi!_"

CRASH!

The two jutsu annulled each other. But the result definitely worked in Naruto's favor. The fuuton and suiton jutsu had mixed, sending the water up in the sky and evaporated it into the air. She smirked; this was just what she needed.

"Why are you smirking, little mouse? Your jutsu didn't work!" the Iwa-nin laughed.

"You're right," Naruto said with the smirk still present on her face. "It didn't work like I intended. But the result is better than I could dare hope for." She brought her hands together to form the cross-seal – to perform her clan's secret jutsu, "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_" Four additional Naruto's appeared in puffs of smoke beside the original, making the Shirogane shinobi hesitate a bit. They brought out their katana's and charged, as the original stayed back. She moved her left hand in front of her chest, forming half the ram seal, and bringing her right hand and katana above her head, pointing straight up at the raining sky.

Tadashi brought out his Kunai and began dodging, blocking, and counterattacking the kage bunshin. He ducked under the blade of one of the clones and gave it a hard kick in the stomach. He frowned when it didn't disperse, but simply faltered back a bit. '_I see_,' he thought to himself while blocking two kage bunshin attacks. '_This must be the true strength of the Kage Bunshin. Nothing like the other copycats in Konoha._' He took a look over at the original and frowned; she was forming the same seal as _Kirigakure no Jutsu,_ but the chakra output was all wrong. '_What is she up to?_'

- With Hinata, Kiba and Akamaru, and Sayuri -

"Kiba-kun, now!" Hinata said, opening her eyes and charging. Kiba didn't need to be told twice, and jumped out of the way at the last possible second. "_Juukenpo: Hakke Sanjuni Sho!_" The Shirogane Kunoichi's eyes widened, '_No!_' But it was too late. The Hyuuga Heiress came charging in, her palms and fingertips lightly glowing in her own chakra.

"_Hakke Ni Sho!_" it came from an attacking Hinata, as she closed off two tenketsu. "_Yottsu Sho!_" Two more tenketsu closed off, and the Iwa-kunoichi was pushed back with each hit. "_Hachi Sho!_" Four more closed off, and Sayuri now had her back up against the trunk of the tree._ "Shikkusutin Sho! Sanjuni Sho!_" Hinata finished the attack, retracting her hands, and was now very exhausted. Sayuri stayed still for a moment a two, before slumping down the trunk, showing the small cracks the tree had gotten from the tree.

Slowly Kiba moved forward, "That was awesome, Hinata! Your training really paid off, huh?"

"Auf, Auf!" Akamaru agreed in barks, wagging his tail, and licking Hinata's face.

She smiled an exhausted smile, "Arigato, Kiba-kun, Akamaru."

Kiba had moved over beside their opponent, checking her pulse. "She is still alive," he said, neither sounding happy or disappointed about it. He turned to Hinata, "Can you finish it off here? I'll go to backup Naruto."

Hinata weakly nodded, "Hai. Go help Naruto-kun."

- With Kurenai and Hiro -

"SAYURI-CHAN!" Hiro exclaimed as he saw the Hyuuga girl completely pummel his clan-sister. Kurenai saw her opportunity and went through the five seals; Inu, Hebi, Saru, Ushi, Tora. She channeled the precise amount of chakra, "_Magen: Jubaku Satsu_." It came out as a whisper that didn't have a source, as she slowly disappeared in a pink mist, which dispersed in the air almost as soon as it had appeared.

As soon as Hiro turned his attention back to where Kurenai had stood seconds before, he realized his mistake. "Shit!" he exclaimed and tried to jump away, but it was too late. He looked to his feet on the forest floor when they didn't move, and saw a sapling grow around them. Soon it wasn't a sapling anymore, but a young tree. He could only stay still and watch while the tree went through its life cycle in mere seconds. Soon it was a fully grown tree – and he was a part of it. The hair on his neck stood on end as he felt a soft breath in his hair.

"You are a worthy opponent, Shirogane Hiro of Iwagakure, even when your intention wasn't. It took your teammates defeat for you to lose your concentration, and give me the opportunity I have been looking for." It was Kurenai who was talking, her lower half hidden inside the tree, and her upper body stretching above the Iwa-nin. She brought out a Kunai and brought it to his throat.

"At least I will be remembered. And I will be killed by no other than Ketsugoo Gensoo no Yuhi Kurenai of Konohagakure. You were a worthy opponent, too," Hiro said. He closed his eyes and prepared himself for what was to come. If he was to lose a battle to anyone, he was glad it was to Yuhi Kurenai – a genjutsu using shinobi he had admired, even if she was from an enemy village. He felt the cold steel press against his throat. He remembered the searing pain as it cut open his skin. He remembered the warmth of his blood spread out from the wound. And he remembered nothing more.

Kurenai released the genjutsu and looked down at the Iwa-nin. '_You really were a worthy opponent._' Now that that was done, she had to check up on her students. She saw Hinata on the branch above, and jumped to her fast.

"Everything all right here?" the jounin asked.

The pale-eyed girl nodded, "Hai. She is just unconscious."

Kurenai nodded, "That's all I could hope f-". She stopped talking as she felt an aura of dread, hate and anger spread through the area. It was so thick that it almost chocked her. She looked down at her student who was now trembling.

"S-sensei! What i-is that-t!?" she said trying desperately to hold on to her kunai. She knew she couldn't be of much use; not after using up almost all of her chakra.

Kurenai looked with wide eyes in the direction Kiba and Naruto was in. '_This chakra! Has the Kyuubi escaped!? No… it's more like its chakra is leaking from the seal. Naruto, what have happened!?_' She didn't answer Hinata, and instead set off in the direction the murderous aura was coming from. Hinata took one look at the still unconscious Iwa kunoichi, and then jumped after her sensei. She had to be there to help her friends.

* * *

**Authors Note:** Wow, it's been a while since I have written such a long chapter. And oh man could I feel that it had been a while since I've written a fight scene. It was so hard to start it. Even worse; I had all these ideas, but didn't know how to come from one point to another. So please do tell me, either in a review or a PM, how the scene was. What did I do well, what could I have done better, etc.

And even with the chapter being so long, I can't believe that I didn't get to finish this whole fighting thing xd. It just kept going, and going, and going. Oh well :)

And as I'm sure you can see, it's very clear that we're going to see the rest of Naruto's and Tadashi's fight. And we're going to see Naruto going Kyuubi for the first time in the next chapter! I know a lot of you will look forward to it. Though, the Kyuubi part of the fighting scene won't be that long. And I will try to keep the fighting to a maximum of just under half the chapter (about 2k words). Then we will see the consequences of it, and we will see Team 8 pack up and start their trip back to Konoha (hopefully).

While I really enjoyed writing this arc – I have had to make up a lot of things, even when it was inspired by the first arc in 'Team 8' – I look forward for them to come back to Konoha and be there for one or two chapters. Then they'll go and back up Team 7, as I said. But that arc won't be that long. I really do want to progress the story, so I can get to the Shippuden Arcs soon! Not that I'm going to hurry it.

And then I'm going to talk a tiny bit about Shoton of Konoha. I know that it's rather popular, and many people want it to be updated. But I can't answer when I will do that. I won't lie and pretend; The Red Tempest of Konoha is currently my favorite of the two stories. But that doesn't mean I'm abandoning Shoton of Konoha; I'm simply not updating at the moment. I'm having fun writing chapters of The Red Tempest of Konoha, and most of the time it, like, flows out of me. And, believe me, I have tried to write a bit on Shoton of Konoha, but everything I write feels very forced. That's not how you write a good story, and that's not how it should be. So I'm hoping that you will bear with me, enjoy updates on The Red Tempest of Konoha, and will be patient if you're reading Shoton of Konoha.

Well, that was really all I had to say for now.

Until Next time :)

**Ketsugoo Gensoo no Yuhi Kurenai – Kurenai Yuhi of the Binding Illusions:** This is my guess of what Kurenai's Bingo Book name could be. The 'Binding' part is both a reference to her skill as a genjutsu user – making it harder for her targets to escape her genjutsu –, but also a reference to her use of binding plants, as the tree in _Magen: Jubaku Satsu_, or the bean plant she uses in String Bean Binding Illusion.

**Gatsuuga – Fang Passing Fang:** The user and their ninken partner spin at a ferocious speed and deliver many powerful beast-like attacks when contact is made with the target. The force of this attack is strong enough to drill through stone. Gatsuuga isn't easily categorized, as it both uses ninjutsu and taijutsu, and is there in the shady category if nintaijutsu.

**Suiton: Mizurappa – Water Release: Water Trumpet:** The user launches a large jet of water from their mouth through their hand. This gives the appearance of playing a trumpet, hence the name.

**Shotei – Palm Bottom / Palm Heel Strike:** This attack consists of a quick, precise thrust of the users' palm to an opponent's body. Like other Gentle Fist techniques, it sends chakra into the target to cause internal damage which could temporarily paralyze an opponent.

**Bingo Book / 'Bingo-Bukku' - Book of Search Instruction:** The Bingo Book is a book that contains any and all information on every missing-nin, which all jounin and members of ANBU of the major shinobi villages are given by their respective Kage to hunt down and assassinate. The purpose of this is so that the village's secrets and/or kekkei genkai aren't stolen or examined by the enemy. Kirigakure has a special unit within their ANBU called hunter-nin, whose sole purpose is the complete eradication of these missing-nin.

There are many versions of the Bingo Book besides those distributed in the shinobi villages. Akatsuki used Bingo Books that instead of listing missing-nin, provided information on the hosts of bijuu (which must be captured alive) and those shinobi that are known as the most powerful assets to a certain village. Kakuzu made use of this addition to track down shinobi in the hopes of gaining their bounties, such as when he attempted to kill Asuma for his 35 million ryo bounty.

**Arigato – Thank You**

**Fuuton: Kami Oroshi – Wind Release: Godly Wind from the Mountain:** This technique creates a vortex of cutting wind to blast at a target. It can be combined with a Katon jutsu to create a fire Vortex.

**Yasei no Kyoda – Feral Swipe:** A taininjutsu from the Inuzuka Clan of Konohagakure no Sato. The user focus his or hers chakra in their nails, growing them longer, thicker, harder, and sharper. The most common use is to damage an enemy's muscles and tendons, but it can be used to various other purposes.

**Juukenpo: Hakke Sanjuni Sho – Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms:** Juukenpo: Hakke Sanjuni Sho jutsu is a maneuver of the Juukenpo fighting style. It is essentially a halved version of the Hakke Rokujuyon Sho, but seems to be no less effective. This jutsu is used to close off the flow of chakra through thirty-two chakra points of an opponent's Chakra Pathway System. This eliminates their ability to use chakra for quite some time and makes it difficult for them to move.

Once someone is within range of her field of divination, the user assumes her Gentle Fist stance and begins to deliver his or her attack: First, two consecutive strikes to make two. Second, another two consecutive strikes to make four. Third, four consecutive strikes to make eight. Fourth, eight consecutive strikes to make sixteen. Fifth, another sixteen consecutive strikes in succession to make a total of thirty two.

**Magen: Jubaku Satsu - Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death:** This is one of the genjutsu passed down since ancient times in Konohagakure. The user first disappears from plain sight in a mist-like fashion in order to approach the target without being detected. Once close enough, the target will then be completely robbed of their mobility as they see the mirage of a fast-growing tree coiling itself around them. Given that the subject remains conscious, this technique proves extremely efficient for information-gathering. Once the target is immobile, the user can then attack the enemy, usually after emerging from the trunk of the tree.

**Inu – Dog **

**Hebi – Snake **

**Saru – Monkey **

**Ushi – Ox**

**Tora – Tiger**

**Hakke Ni Sho – Eight Trigrams Two Palms**

**Yottsu Sho – Four Palms**

**Hachi Sho – Eight Palms**

**Shikkusutin Sho – Sixteen Palms**

**Sanjuni Sho – Thirty-Two Palms**


	10. Her Prisoner

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Ceralyn:** Yeah, I thought a lot about it. I made a bit of a compromise as you see; killed one, captured one, and the last one's fate is unknown.

**Greatness Alone:** That's really good to hear :). I was really nervous about the fight – was it too short, too long, did it happen too fast or too slow xd.

**Chapter 10:** Her Prisoner

* * *

"_At least I will be remembered. And I will be killed by no other than Ketsugoo Gensoo no Yuhi Kurenai of Konohagakure. You were a worthy opponent, too," Hiro said. He closed his eyes and prepared himself for what was to come. If he was to lose a battle to anyone, he was glad it was to Yuhi Kurenai – a genjutsu using shinobi he had admired, even if she was from an enemy village. He felt the cold steel press against his throat. He remembered the searing pain as it cut open his skin. He remembered the warmth of his blood spread out from the wound. And he remembered nothing more._

_Kurenai released the genjutsu and looked down at the Iwa-nin. '_You really were a worthy opponent_.' Now that that was done, she had to check up on her students. She saw Hinata on the branch above, and jumped to her fast._

"_Everything all right here?" the jounin asked._

_The pale-eyed girl nodded, "Hai. She is just unconscious."_

_Kurenai nodded, "That's all I could hope f-". She stopped talking as she felt an aura of dread, hate and anger spread through the area. It was so thick that it almost chocked her. She looked down at her student who was now trembling._

"_S-sensei! What i-is that-t!?" she said trying desperately to hold on to her kunai. She knew she couldn't be of much use; not after using up almost all of her chakra._

_Kurenai looked with wide eyes in the direction Kiba and Naruto was in. '_This chakra! Has the Kyuubi escaped!? No… it's more like its chakra is leaking from the seal. Naruto, what have happened!?_' She didn't answer Hinata, and instead set off in the direction the murderous aura was coming from. Hinata took one look at the still unconscious Iwa kunoichi, and then jumped after her sensei. She had to be there to help her friends._

* * *

- With Naruto and Tadashi -

'_How!?_' was all Tadashi could think as he ducked under a water ball. He put his head up too early; the water ball changed direction right back at him. It hit him hard in the back of his head, making him see white spots in his vision. He didn't have time to rest as the remaining three Naruto's – two of them clones, and the last original. It was easy to tell them apart: the real one had _water_ floating around her in rings, and balls suspended in midair, both of which she was using in her attacks against him. To make it harder for him, her kenjutsu skills were amazing. Even though he could see that she wasn't completely used to the style she used – a style he had never seen or even heard of –, it was more than sufficient. When all these skills came together, he had a hard time to get the upper hand… or even to survive.

"Told you that I still had skills up my sleeves," Naruto said with confidence written all over her face. She 'danced' around the strikes that were coming from the Iwa-nin.

"I. Don't. Know. How. You're. Doing. This." Tadashi said, trying to stab, kick, and punch her and the clones with every word he said. "You can't keep this up forever, _water-witch_!"

"I don't know if you know this, Shirogane," Naruto said almost gloating, while she tried to hit him with her katana. "But most of the Uzumaki clan has larger than normal chakra capacity."

Tadashi snorted. "So?" he said jumping over the slash of a katana and blocked a kick from one of the clones. He took advantage of it; he grabbed the leg and swung the Kage Bunshin towards one of the trees that had fallen. It hit a broken branch – the branch going through the stomach of the clone – and dispelled it. One clone plus the original was left to fight Tadashi.

"Well," she said ducking under his kunai. "Because of that, and other more… complicated reasons, I don't exactly have a normal chakra capacity."

"Yeah?" he said, striking at the original. He had to abort, though, as two of the water balls came crashing towards him on both his left and right. "So you have, what, chunin-level chakra? Jounin-level? That's not going to matter to me; no matter how much chakra you have, it can't be more than me – a jounin of Iwagakure. No matter what, you will run out of chakra sooner or later. And when you do, I will just… finish you off." He had to blocking a strike from the last clone with both hands. He smirked; it seemed that the Uzumaki bitch was starting to tire. "Damn!" he swore to himself when he saw that the strike had been meant to keep his hands occupied; the original swung her water-covered katana towards his right knee. He had fought her long enough to know, that the water was more than sharp enough to give him a deep, if not fatal, wound. He used all his powers to push the clone away, giving him what he needed to avoid the cut. It wasn't enough though; he _did_ avoid the blade of the katana, but the water following after it was several inched longer. It was _just_ long enough to give him a not so shallow cut right above his knee. He hissed while in air, making sure that he landed on his left leg.

"More like ka-" was all she got to say.

"Naruto!"

"Auf, auf! Growl!"

The Uzumaki heiress and the Iwa-nin turned their attention on the arrival. There stood a slightly worse for wear Kiba and Akamaru, about fifteen meters up in one of the trees. He was lightly out of breath, but that didn't stop him for smiling when he was that Naruto was still ok. Tadashi narrowed his eyes, while Naruto couldn't help but smile back at her crush, if just a little. That was until she saw what Tadashi was doing. The last standing Shirogane clan member was going through a set of hand-seals she had seen more than a few times.

"Kiba, Akamaru! Look out!" she screamed a warning to them, starting going through her own set of seals.

"_Fuuton: Kami Oroshi!_" Tadashi said smirking; he got her now.

Naruto charged much of her remaining chakra into the jutsu. "_Suiton: Kyonyu Mizurappa!_" She screamed, a thousand thoughts going through her head. The most prominent, however, was that she couldn't let her teammate get hurt. She couldn't let her friend get hurt. She couldn't let her crush get hurt. She had to save them!

The first thing Kiba saw was the large vortex of wind moving towards him. But before he could react he heard Naruto scream before a _massive_ amount of water headed towards the fuuton jutsu. For the first time since they had been tested by Kurenai-sensei so many weeks ago, he was stunned and speechless. The amount of water was _far_ larger than in any other Mizurappa Naruto had used before, and it was by far larger than the _Fuuton: Kami Oroshi._ Kiba, seeing that there wasn't any time to get to cover, grabbed his white canine partner, and shielded him. It was just in time for the two jutsu colliding.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

The Mizurappa crashed into the fuuton jutsu, completely annihilating it. The force pushed the brown-haired boy and white ninken dog down from the tree. He curled together and landed in a roll, minimizing the damage. He opened his eyes to his a deep fog around him. He couldn't see two meters in front of him – he even had trouble with smelling anything because of all the moisture in the air. He started running in the direction he thought the clearing was in. He sighed in relief when the fog started to part. But as soon as he stepped outside he saw another fuuton jutsu heading towards him. He didn't even notice the red blur that ran towards him, grabbed his hand, and pulled him away.

BOOM

"Kiba! Get it together, NOW!" Naruto all but screamed at the Inuzuka genin, shaking the boy. She was beginning to feel truly exhausted. That big suiton jutsu had really taken a lot of chakra; she hadn't trained a lot with it, but it was the only jutsu she had that was fast and strong enough to annul Tadashi's fuuton jutsu. She couldn't fight that Iwa-nin AND protect Kiba at the same time.

"Auf, auf!" it came urgently from Akamaru, who had to jump off of Kiba, due to Naruto's violent shaking.

Kiba blinked a few times, trying to get the ringing out of his head and un-blur his vision. His vision got better, and he saw a red mess of hair shaking him, and apparently screaming at him. His eyes cleared somewhat, making him able to see the urgency in Naruto's face. That was an eye-opener for him; Naruto was never urgent. She was always calm. Well, with anything not involving the Shirogane clan and Iwagakure.

Then he saw it. Glints of metal flying through the air with incredible speed, most likely because of a small fuuton jutsu used to speed them up. And they were heading towards them. He looked dazed at the girl in front of him… and she hadn't noticed the projectiles heading their way. He tried warning her, but the words wouldn't come out of his mouth. He saw them come closer and closer. Acting on instinct, he used the last of his strength and chakra on moving. Then the shuriken and kunai was impeded in his back, arms and legs.

Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief and fear. She had never seen Kiba move so fast – and it had completely caught her by surprise; one moment he had barely been able to move, due to the disorienting effects of a close encounter with Tadashi's jutsu, and the next he was behind her in a blink of an eye, _shielding_ her. She watched as he bit his lip in pain.

"Kiba!" she chocked when she saw his injuries. '_This can't be happening. This just can't be happening! Not you, Kiba. Not one of my persons! No, no, no, No, NO!'_

Blood slowly dripped from the corner of the Inuzuka heirs mouth. He felt a sharp pain, forcing him to cough, bringing more blood up. Some of it landed on the completely devastating looking red-haired girl in front of him. But she didn't seem to care. He reached with his right hand to her cheek, wiping the blood of with his thumb. He began to feel dizzy, and the world darkened in front of his eyes. But he could still see _her_, the girl he dreamt about, the girl he thought about… the girl who was his crush, and his world.

"I'm sorry, Ice Princess… Please," he said, but was interrupted by a cough. "Please take care of Akamaru… Inuzuka ninken dogs don't get new partners… And I don't want to see him retire. He will be good to you. And Naruto?" The girl looked at him, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. She nodded at him. He smiled weakly back at her, "You are the most beautiful, the most amazing girl – no, shinobi I have ever met. You will make a great Hokage one day. Don't let anyone stop you from reaching that goal." Then he collapsed where he stood, blood slowly leaking from his wounds. Naruto inched up to him, and put his head on her lab.

"Whimper, whimper," it came from Akamaru. With his snout he pushed and licked his human partner's right, still hand, trying to get the boy to move. Nothing happened; the brown-haired genin was lying just as still as he did when the white ninken dog started.

Tadashi chuckled evilly. "That's one out of the way. Uzumaki-witch, you're next," he said, starting to walk towards the whiskered girl and puppy, and now still boy. He brought out one of his last kunai, and began to charge it with fuuton chakra.

"You killed him," it came lowly from the sapphire eyed girl, as tears rolled slowly down her cheeks, her eyes obscured in the shadow of her hair. It almost looked like she had given up; she just sat there, beside the small and whimpering Akamaru, starring at the apparent lifeless body of one of her only two friends, at the body of her crush.

"Yeah, I did," Tadashi said smirked – he knew he had the upper hand now just by looking at the girl. "Have you never seen a teammate die? Is this the first time you've seen a friend die? And all you can do is whimper about it," he laughed. "This is the path of the Shinobi, Uzumaki. This is the life we choose to live. But I don't expect an _Uzumaki_ to understand that. You just run with the tail between your legs, and call for help from the oh-so-mighty Senju. But guess what; there is no one to help you now. It's only me, and you."

"Shut up…" she said weakly at Tadashi. She slowly and carefully laid Kiba down on the ground, making sure that none of the shinobi weapons would disfigure him even more. "You were also an amazing person, Kiba…kun. And, I love you."

Tadashi, still smirking, was now only about five meters away from the two Konoha genin. His eyebrows furrowed when steam seemed to emanate from the Uzumaki girl. The water that was on the ground seemed to evaporate for no reason at all, and he could swear he could see some of her wounds healing up – in front of his eyes.

"Whimper!" the Inuzuka ninken said, backing up from Naruto. Steam now almost completely obscured the girl – she was only visible through her bright, red Uzumaki hair.

"You will pay, Shirogane…" it came from her voice. It sounded completely lost and devastated. What surprised him more was that he could hear the lust for revenge in it. That's when it happened; the evaporated water was pushed back from the girl, red… chakra was spiraling around the girl, making it almost fifteen meters into the air. It cut into the ground around her, and seemed to be draining the life from the nearby plants. She looked up at him, making his heart jump into his throat. The calm blue eyes had been replaced by furious red ones, with slit pupils.

"YOU WILL PAY! YOU AND EVERY MEMBER OF THE SHIROGANE CLAN! I WILL KILL YOU ALL!" she screamed at him. It was making his hair stand on end: under her normal voice he could hear something dark and otherworldly – something that trusted for blood… _his_ blood.

'_What is this chakra…?_' he thought to himself terrified. His eyes widened: the spiraling chakra was converting into one point, fifteen meters up in the air. '_Impossible! The chakra is taking form! And what terrible chakra… It feels like Han's chakra when he uses_ it_ – just way more sinister._' He looked up and froze in fear. Above Naruto levitated a giant fox head, its eyes fixated on Tadashi. He was now visibly trembling. "Kyuubi no Yoko!?" he whispered in the heating air. He looked back at the crimson-eyed girl; she was now crouching. All her wounds were healing, and she didn't seem to lack any chakra anymore. Then she disappeared right in front of his eyes. Before he could react, she was in front of him, fist cocked back. He didn't see it coming either; he just felt the searing pain in his gut, and the pain of flying through several trees – three trees if he counted right.

"What the hell _is_ she!?" he said as he pushed the debris off of himself. He winced he stretched out; he had broken at least a few ribs. He looked up in the sky. From where he was standing he could still see where the large fox head had been. '_That's right… she must be the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi,_' he thought bitterly. '_Well, of course she is! The last known member of that cursed clan isn't only a shinobi of Konoha; she also has to be the jinchuuriki of the strongest of the nine bijuu! I can't fight her like this!_'

_- _With Naruto –

"IWA-SCUM! WHERE ARE YOU HIDING!? COME OUT SO I CAN KILL YOU SLOWLY AND PAINFULLY!" Naruto roared through the forest. She didn't know where she had gotten this strength from, and she didn't care. She was acting on instinct now, nothing more and nothing less. "IF YOU AREN'T GOING TO COME OUT," she screamed at the hidden Shirogane clan-member. "THEN I'LL JUST HAVE TO FORCE YOU OUT!" She dug deep into the core of her powers, the core of her strength. She found the place her chakra rest, and she found her suiton chakra. She mixed it with her new and embowering chakra, channeling it with all her might.

_- _With Tadashi –

Tadashi was shocked again. All around him the foliage seemed with wither – no, they weren't just withering; the water was being drawn from them! Even the air became as dry as he had only felt in the Great Desert of Kaze no Kuni. The trees around him creaked, and he heard crashes all around him throughout the forest, first on one side, and then on the other. How did she… no, he didn't want to know. What mattered was that he couldn't hide in the forest; there was too high of a risk of getting hit of the now dead trees. He didn't get time to act, however, as water seeped through the forest floor.

"What the hell?" he said to himself. Then he heard the roar of… water? Lots and lots of water. He turned around to see the whole forest fall apart and getting replaced by what he could only describe as a small ocean. And it hit him. He couldn't see anything but the foam in the water, debris, and some few glimpses of the ground. He could feel his lungs began to burn of the lack of air. If he didn't get out soon he would simply drown. Then he saw light; no shadows of the few remaining trees. The water seemed to reseed, he found the ground, and he could finally breathe.

"Found you," the whiskered Uzumaki laughed.

_- _With Kurenai and Hinata –

"Kurenai-sensei!? What is happening to the forest? And what is this chakra?" Hinata asked, going as far as yelling a bit. She had been asking her teacher the same question several times now, but had gotten no answer so far. The Konoha jounin was completely fixated on what was going on ahead of them. "Sensei!"

"Hinata, not now! I don't know what's happening to the forest, but the chakra… if what I think happened really happened then I don't have time to answer your questions!" Kurenai said, maybe a bit harshly. Hinata bit her lib at the tone – the old Hinata would surely had apologized and not asked for anything for weeks, if not months. But she now knew that this had nothing to do with her. And that this had everything to do with Kiba and Naruto.

She looked up and around her with a worried look; all the foliage, all the life in the area had withered. And it had happened _very_ recently – they had been patrolling this area for weeks, and as later as earlier that day. And now… this? It was worrying to say the least. The two Konoha kunoichi had even taken to the ground – Kurenai simply wasn't confident that the dead trees could take their weight, and not collapse when they were jumping on the branches. Hinata sighed. '_I wish I was stronger. I wish I had enough experience to use my Byakugan any more than I can now…_' the Hyuuga genin thought a little depressed. '_But… if I want to be of help right now, I can't use my chakra without thinking. And this is about Naruto-kun and Kiba-kun._'

"Something's up ahead," Kurenai warned her student. The exited the forest – if you could call it that anymore – and entered the 'clearing'.

"Kami…" was all Hinata could say when she saw the scene in front of her. Naruto was standing on all four in the middle of the clearing, water revolving around her, like planets revolving around a sun. It was like her special water style kenjutsu, there was just a _lot_ more chakra. It didn't take the Hyuuga long to figure out what had happened to the forest – Naruto had happened. How, however, was a whole other mystery. Then she saw the only area that didn't seemed to have been destroyed. Someone was lying there… and Akamaru was sitting by the person. She gasped as she recognized him, "Kiba!"

"Hinata-" was Kurenai tried, but the small girl cut her off.

"No! Kiba-kun is hurt, and I'm going to help him however I can. I don't know what's going on with Naruto-kun, but I know that she would _never_ hurt her friends in any way. It's probably because that _bastard_ hurt Kiba-kun that Naruto-kun is like that now. You can punish me for it later, but right now I'm going in whether you like it or not!"

Kurenai was taken a bit back by the girls behavior, but forced a small smile, "I was going to say to hurry over there." As Hinata ran over to the male member of Team 8 and turned her attention towards Naruto. Now, it wasn't worried about Kiba – she was scared as hell for what had happened to him – but she had to focus on the redheaded Uzumaki.

"Please! Don't kill me, please! Let the kindness in your heart out!" Tadashi screamed in fear at Naruto. The Iwa shinobi used all his powers to try and inch away from the demon, slowly. It didn't go fast; he could only use one hand, the other being used to support his very hurt chest.

"Oh, should I show the same kindness that you showed me?" Naruto chuckled at the pathetic shinobi lying in front of her, only following as fast as he was moving away. "Should I show the same kindness that you showed my team? Should I show the saME KINDNESS THAT YOU SHOWED KIBA!? FINE! I'LL SHOW THE SAME KINDNESS YOU HAVE TAUGHT ME!" She moved from enjoying his pain, to being furious again. She was done waiting.

"Naruto, don't!" Kurenai ordered the girl. The clan heiress didn't listen though. Naruto grabbed Tadashi's head so hard, that Kurenai could have sworn that she heard his skull breaking. The water around the girl started to move along her arm, and into the Shirogane clan members nose a mouth. Tadashi looked frightened into the Uzumaki heiress eyes, but so now kindness, no remorse, only evil glee and satisfaction. He tried using his remaining strength forcing the girls arm away from his face, but it wouldn't budge an inch. He could feel the water rush down his nose and throat, filling up his lungs. And it didn't stop; they were full, but the water just kept on filling in, not getting faced about the lack of space. He felt an excruciating pain in his chest, what he could only describe as something exploding inside of him.

Kurenai had been through a lot. Sure, she was only a rookie jounin, but she had been taking mission on jounin level for some time now. Still, it had been very rare she had felt so sick to her stomach, as to how Naruto killed the enemy shinobi. But she couldn't care about that now; now there were no enemies in sight, and the Kyuubi's chakra was still running wild through the whiskered girl. She had to do something now; she went through the seals of the genjutsu she had learned from the Sandaime Hokage, for exactly this purpose.

"_Magen: Oni Kokai," _she said and focused the genjutsu at the Konoha jinchuuriki. The red hair whipped around when she turned to look at Kurenai, the Iwa-nin still grasped in her hand. She felt the strong genjutsu settle on her; she tried to break free from it, but to no avail. She could feel the strong chakra that had inhabited her system for the last few minutes leave her, retreating to somewhere inside her. It didn't take long, and as soon as it was out of her system she felt pure again. Until she saw what was in her hand; she gasped and let go of Tadashi, feeling disgusted with what she had done. Then she started feeling dizzy and really tired. She had never felt this way before… the world went black, and she only felt a bump as she hit the ground before she lost consciousness.

_- _With Hinata, Kiba, and Akamaru moments earlier–

Hinata sighed in relief; she could still feel his pulse. She carefully took out the impeded weapons from his back, and took off his jacket. She had a hard time not to blush a little; Kiba wasn't bad looking. She shook her head and concentrated at what was in front of her; the Inuzuka heirs injuries. She activated her Byakugan and looked through the wounds, ignoring the fight going on behind her. The weapons they didn't seem to have cut any major arteries or veins, and his chakra circulation system didn't seem to have taken damage either. The only reason for concern was the shuriken that had pieced close to the spine and punctured a lung; it was an injury, but not life-threatening. Still, _that_ wound wasn't something she could treat here. He had been lucky. It was most likely because of his fishnet shirt that he didn't obtain further injuries.

"Whimper, whimper," it came from Akamaru.

She smiled at the small dog, "he's going to be fine." The dog clearly understood, getting happier right away. He was still a little reserved; he also seemed to know that Kiba wasn't out of the woods yet. She took out her healing ointment and applied it to the wounds before bandaging them.

"_Magen: Oni Kokai_," Hinata heard from behind her. It was Kurenai who cast it, and it was applied to Naruto. Hinata could see through her kekkei genkai that her best friend's chakra was in fluctuation for a few seconds, before the red chakra seemed to reseed… to her navel? Soon after she collapsed where she stood. Hinata's breath hitched; another of her comrades down? She ran over beside her, soon followed by Kurenai. Again, Hinata was surprised when Kurenai checked Naruto with _Shosen Jutsu_.

"Is Naruto-kun ok?" Hinata asked in concern for her friend.

Kurenai didn't answer right away, but kept checking up on the unconscious girl. Finally she answered, "Hai, she just seems to have used up too much chakra."

Hinata didn't believe her sensei at first, but she saw no joke written in Kurenai's face, "Chakra exhaustion? Naruto? But she has _huge_ chakra reserves! How-. Wha-."

Kurenai held up a hand, "I know what you're going to ask, and I can't answer you."

"Why not!? Both my teammates are down, and I don't know why my best friend went on a rampage!" Hinata said distraught.

"And two of my students are down on our first mission outside the village!" Kurenai said to Hinata a little harshly, giving the girl second thoughts. Kurenai's eyes softened, "I can't tell you because of a law passed down in the village. The only one who can tell you are either Naruto or Sandaime-sama. And I can tell you right away that Sandaime-sama won't tell you without Naruto's permission."

That surprised Hinata. But she knew when she should stop, and moved on to another subject. She looked up at the mildly exhausted jounin, "Sensei, you know medical jutsu?" the small Hyuuga asked

Kurenai nodded, "Just the basics, though."

"Then you should check on Kiba-kun. There was only one wound I couldn't treat, but it isn't li-" Hinata told her sensei, but stopped in the middle of it. She whipped around about forty degrees and got into her juukenpo stance, "Sensei, four persons are approaching."

Kurenai looked over at Kiba, laying more than a few meters way. She quickly ran over to the boy and his dog, grabbed him, and lied him down beside Naruto. "Hinata, can you see their chakra levels?"

"Sorry sensei," the Hyuuga said almost in self loath. "I used too much chakra before. If I use more chakra on my Byakugan, I won't be able to fight." Kurenai didn't get to answer before the four persons appeared in below a dead tree.

"Oh, crap." It was the girl that had spoken first when Team 8 had first encountered the Iwa shinobi. "Please tell me they didn't kill any of you." She started walking towards the Konoha shinobi, not even waiting for an answer, followed by what Kurenai identified as three Iwa ANBU.

"_Don't_ get any closer, Iwa." Kurenai warned in a firm voice. "You better have a really good explanation for being on Hi no Kuni's side of the border – especially after three Iwa-nin having attacked me and my students." She grabbed her kunai tighter, and Hinata made sure her stance was correct. The Iwa ANBU responded by reaching for their own kunai, but the girl waved a hand of them dismissing it.

"Konoha, believe me when I say that Iwagakure and my grandfather had _nothing_ to do with this fight," the girl answered.

"Your grandfather?" Hinata asked, bringing attention to her, making her feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Hai, I am Kurotsuchi, granddaughter of the Sandaime Tsuchikage, Onoki. As of two days ago, the Shirogane Clan was no longer citizens of Iwagakure no Sato."

* * *

**Authors Note:** Damn, I know I said I would try to keep the fight scene to about 2k words, but then it just seemed rushed xd. And here I am, writing a whole chapter almost completely fighting scene. Well, not it's over at least. I will – hopefully – only use the next chapter to wrapping things up, and then they'll be back in Konoha. Then I'll do an arc or two them just being in Konoha, and training with Team Gai, and then it's over to Nami no Kuni to support Team 7 :).

There is something I will warn you about already now: The chunin exam arc will be 'fast'. I will probably only use one or two chapters on the second exam (not talking about preliminaries here). This is mostly because I want to move the story along, but I still want Nami no Kuni. So this was the way I decided to do it.

Also, my holiday is over (it started one week ago, and is the reason why I've had so much time to write these chapters). So don't expect chapters so quickly anymore. Though, I feel that I have learned how to handle this new school, so I feel fairly confident when I say that I will most likely be able to get a chapter up once a week. Don't hold me to it though; as I've said in other Authors Notes: The school and my education is my first and foremost priority.

A little side note: I think I'll start with actually replying on your reviews xd. I mean more than I do now in the actual chapter – now I'll start with the PM. So be ready to actually get answers on your reviews and/or questions :)

And maybe the most important thing in this authors note: I am as of now looking for a beta for The Red Tempest of Konoha. And I will need help from you guys. I have never looked for a beta, like for real. I _have_ seen the beta looking function on the website, but everyone I have contacted said that it was ages ago they signed up for it, and they aren't looking to do it anymore. So, if you, or anyone you know, are interested in beta'ing, then please contact me via PM, NOT via a review. What I will need my beta to do is:

Reading through the chapters I send, correcting any spelling mistakes, or wording mistakes. I will need you to say if you think that any of the characters are not acting like they use to, and things like that.

I will NOT need the beta to rewrite any sentences, or something like that, if you think that is sounds awkward, or that something else would sound smarter. It's my writing style, so, so be it if some sentences are a bit wacky.

And then to something completely different: a few days ago I stumbled over a song on YouTube, and I was completely caught by surprise. It's called 'Stand in The Rain' by Superchick. In my opinion, it fits TRToK!Naruto perfectly, describing her whole struggle and ll. If you have time, then listen to it and tell me what you think.

Well, that was really all for now. Until next time :)

**Suiton: Kyonyu Mizurappa – Water Release: Big Water Trumpet:** A larger and more chakra consuming version of _Suiton: Mizurappa_.

**Magen: Oni Kokai – Demonic Illusion: Demon Repent:** A very strong genjutsu passed down in the Konohagakure no Sato. It is used to suppress or expel foreign chakra in the targets body.


	11. Her Recovery

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Ladygoddess8:** You're right; it's definitely going to have some psychological consequences for Naruto that she has to work through. But it's fortunate that she have good friends who can help her :). But that doesn't mean that it will be easy for her - she will most likely consider herself a monster, or even the fox itself. It's going to take some hard work to get through it - I just hope I can write it 'realistically'.

** . .Xx:** Good, that means I did something right. I wanted to show the difference between her, and then when she is affected by the Kyuubi. I was just the tiny bit disgusted myself by how she killed Tadashi :p.

**Gruffard:** Then I did something right. The way I see it is that the Kyuubi's chakra enhances the 'dark' emotions - and TRToK!Naruto has a lot more dark emotions than canon!Naruto, even if she doesn't show them always. So she is affacted just a tiny bit more by the Kurama's chakra - at least until she deals with her problems.

**Irissen:** As I've said before; I like the reviews, but they're not the most important thing for me. I'm just sharing my story with you, and I take it as a compliment if my readers do review :).

And thank you :). Yes, my muse have been in overdrive in this chapter, trying to write something original, but still fits TRToK!Naruto. Though, the mission itself isn't completely my doing. S'tarrk, the author of 'Team 8', is the one who created the mission they're on right now. That's not to say that I haven't given it my own spin with my own writing style, but I haven't created this mission.

And yeah, I get what you mean about the personality. I do like some stories where you just give Naruto boobs - the interaction with other people becomes different - but I like the fem!Naruto stories with a new personality more. They are way more interesting, like you're learning to know a completely new person.

Well, I think you can see the problem she has with Iwa - or the Shirogane Clan more precisely. For how much she blames the village they've lived in... That only time will tell.

And about Minato being her father... She doesn't look like him, so it won't be a problem people recognizing him in her. And we will explore the potential problems with her ties with him when she's told/she finds out about him.

**Engineer4Ever:** If you smell political BS coming up, then you have a good nose :). No, seriously, there will of course be some consequences' for Iwa, and there will be some politics to try and prevent another war. But I don't think I will cover it in scenes - it will most likely be more like Naruto and her friends talking about the Hokage and Tsuchikage has talked, and stuff like that... I just hope that I can write it well enough

**Greatness Alone:** Glad you enjoyed the fight. That 'taken out of the anime/manga' can be understood as two things... that I copy the anime/manga, or that you think that I write it almost as good as them. Taken the context into consideration, I'm going to go with the last option :). So thanks.

**Sadie:** I'm glad you like the story :) I've put a lot of work into it, so it means a lot. About the 'kun' suffix; you are only half right with your statement. It is used for boys 90% of the time (did you know that 90% of statistics are made up?), but it is used for girls also on rare occasions. If I remember correctly – and sorry if it isn't, it's been a while since I read it – then 'kun' is used for close friends. Like what Hinata and Naruto is in this story. That said… I've been thinking about it myself. Changing it to 'chan'.

**Chapter 11:** Her Recovery

* * *

_Kurenai looked over at Kiba, laying more than a few meters way. She quickly ran over to the boy and his dog, grabbed him, and lied him down beside Naruto. "Hinata, can you see their chakra levels?"_

"_Sorry sensei," the Hyuuga said almost in self loath. "I used too much chakra before. If I use more chakra on my Byakugan, I won't be able to fight." Kurenai didn't get to answer before the four persons appeared in below a dead tree._

"_Oh, crap." It was the girl that had spoken first when Team 8 had first encountered the Iwa shinobi. "Please tell me they didn't kill any of you." She started walking towards the Konoha shinobi, not even waiting for an answer, followed by what Kurenai identified as three Iwa ANBU._

"_Don't get any closer, Iwa." Kurenai warned in a firm voice. "You better have a really good explanation for being on Hi no Kuni's side of the border – especially after three Iwa-nin having attacked me and my students." She grabbed her kunai tighter, and Hinata made sure her stance was correct. The Iwa ANBU responded by reaching for their own kunai, but the girl waved a hand of them dismissing it._

"_Konoha, believe me when I say that Iwagakure and my grandfather had _nothing_ to do with this fight," the girl answered._

"_Your grandfather?" Hinata asked, bringing attention to her, making her feel slightly uncomfortable._

"_Hai, I am Kurotsuchi, granddaughter of the Sandaime Tsuchikage, Onoki. As of two days ago, the Shirogane Clan was no longer citizens of Iwagakure no Sato."_

* * *

Naruto didn't feel much. She wasn't completely sure where she was. She could feel water around her body – it felt like she was floating. But she couldn't see it. She could see a sky, though. There were three big stars in the sky; a yellow, a red, and a dark sinister red – almost black. The two warm stars seemed to revolve around each other, and they were the ones closest to her. Then there was the cold star further away. It almost seemed to try and get to her, but the two warm stars kept blocking its way, keeping it back.

And then there were other… entities around her. They came and they went. And they weren't like the stars – she could almost feel what they were feeling. They were all worried. Some were sad, and some were afraid. While many of the entities came and went, three kept at her side – one of the entities being a bit different from the others. She didn't mind it though: it was always really close, and sometimes she could swear she could feel warmth emanating from it.

She remember that a while ago – she had no feel for time at the moment – there were only very few entities. Eight entities, if she remembered correctly. She was pretty sure there was only eight. Then three disappeared, and she felt some entities in the edge of her ocean, but they quickly went away again. Then came multitudes – so many that she couldn't count them. It was like a whole city had moved together – though none of them but a few paid attention to her. She had been about to go nuts there – each and every one of the entities felt a feeling, not two feeling completely the same. To her relief, after some time most of them went away.

She could feel five that was always stationary – but they weren't near her. They didn't even seem to notice her. Then there were about seven that moved around in the water, a few times coming to… check on her? Her and the other five stationary entities. But she wasn't sure. Then there was one who kept coming for _her_. As soon as it entered the ocean, it went straight to her. It seemed to be interacting with two of the three who always stayed at her side. And it wasn't the only one – she had felt a few different entities that also seemed to come and check on her. None of them stayed for long, though.

But that was little comfort for her. She was just floating, looking into the sky, feeling what the entities felt. But most of all, she remembered. She remembered the mission, she remembered the Iwa shinobi, she remembered the Shirogane clan, she remembered Kiba… She felt a big lump in her throat when thinking about the deceased boy. Whom she had hoped one day would become _her_ boy. And she remembered the Iwa-nin for killed Kiba. No, that's not right… she remembered just before the fainted. Akamaru was… not happy, but he wasn't as sad as he had been when she had been with him. She could faintly remember the image of Kiba as she fell… the weapons wasn't stuck in him by then, and she could have sworn she saw some white cloth or fabric wrapped around him. So he wasn't dead… not that he would talk to her ever again. She remembered what she had done to the Iwa-nin… She remembered what she did to him… Now she felt disgusted – no matter what he had done, he did not deserve to die so _brutally_. Maybe the village was right… maybe she was a monster… and monsters didn't deserve to live.

So she kept floating, watching the struggle between warm and cold stars, feeling the feelings of the entities, and remembering. Something changed after she didn't know how long. She frowned as the stars seemed to move farther and farther away. The entities began to take form, they weren't just feelings now, but had actual physical forms – not that they looked like anything but different colored fog. Then the ocean seemed to become almost visible… transparent was the word. It seemed to drain away. She began feeling heavy in the body and dizzy. One of the entities – it had the same color as the red warm star – approached her. Naruto could swear she almost saw hair resembling her own. It touched her head, and she heard a loving woman voice,

"Don't be afraid to be yourself…"

Then there was a bright light, erasing every and all things.

* * *

Naruto groaned; her body felt heavy like she had never felt. She creaked her eyes open, only to shut them close again after being blinded by the light in the room. She opened her eyes, slowly this time, letting her eyes adjust to the light. She would frown if she wasn't so tired; she was inside. In a room. She was not inside a tent in the forest. She heard beeping to the left of her – it was a heart monitor machine – and she heard slurping to her right. She didn't pay much attention to the slurping, but more to the monitor. It meant that she could only be one place. She groaned once again.

"Great, I'm in the hospital… I hate the hospital," she mumbled. The slurping stopped right away,

"Marumo?" a voice sounded. Naruto recognized it as keeper right away and turned her head his way. He had his mouth full of what looked like ramen – and he was sitting up looking perfectly healthy. And… it was like she could feel his presence… she was too tried to think about it now.

"Kiba." His eyes was right in hers, shining with relief. "You're alive," she smiled tiredly at him.

He smiled at her – mouth full of ramen and all – and gave her the thumbs up. "Yep, alive and kicking."

"You're still not allowed to train, Kiba-kun," a female voice corrected him. Naruto wasn't surprised – somehow she knew that there was another person in the room – and looked towards the foot of the bed. Hinata was smiling at her, relief also shining from her white eyes. "I'm happy to see you're finally awake."

"Finally? How long was I out? Now that I think of it, why are we already back in Konoha?" Naruto asked while pulling herself up to a sitting position. "I thought we were supposed to guard the border for at least two more weeks?"

"Erm, Naruto-kun… The mission was cut short due to the Shirogane clan… Our battle was four days ago, and we've been in Konoha for two days," Hinata said carefully – she didn't want her best friend to be in a bad mood so soon after awakening.

The whiskered girl didn't answer away. She looked down on her hands, while tightened her grip on the duvet. Then she talked, very low. Almost so low that you couldn't hear it, "Why are you still here?"

Kiba looked outrageous at her, "Why!? Because we're your teammates, and your friends."

Hinata nodded, "Hai, we wouldn't leave you alone in the hospital."

Both of them were very surprised when they saw the redheaded girl start to sob. "But… you saw what I did to him… you saw what I did to that Shirogane member… you saw how I killed him."

"I didn't!" Kiba declared happily, trying to cheer her up.

"But Hinata told you, didn't she?" No answer. Yeah, he had heard how she had killed Tadashi. "So why…" she sobbed. Then she looked up at them angrily, "Why are you still here!? You saw what I did! You saw what's ins- what I'm capable off! I'm a monster, just like all the villagers have said all along!"

"Shut up!" both Kiba and Hinata told her at the same time. She looked up at them, and they both looked pretty mad. Hinata was the first to speak,

"Don't you dare go say things like that about my best friend! If I won't let the villagers say things like that, don't you go think for a single second that I will let anyone else do it!"

Kiba nodded furiously, "Yeah, what Hinata said. I don't know what happened after he took me down, but I know that you would never – and never will – be able to do something so cruel! That Iwa-nin must've cast some sort of jutsu on you! I mean, there are no other explanations."

"Right… That must've been it…" Naruto agreed. She more than knew that it wasn't true, but… she wasn't ready to tell them what she thought had happened. She wasn't even completely sure _what_ had happened – she needed to talk to Kurenai-sensei about that… and maybe Hokage-no-jichan if she was right.

Hinata, with all the training her clan had put her through when reading body language, knew that Naruto didn't mean it. And she had seen that… something was inside Naruto. She had no idea what was going on, but she had a pretty good idea that it, whatever _it_ was, was the cause for the villagers' treatment of the Uzumaki heiress. And she decided that she didn't agree with the village. She had seen with her own eyes what that chakra did to her best friend, but she knew that it wasn't her best friend. The Naruto she knew and loved would never do something like that – she was loving and caring… even if she didn't show it always. That kid she had met up with a couple of times, Konohamaru she was pretty sure his name was, was a proof of that. Would a cold and heartless 'demon bitch' go and train a child?

Kiba, however bought it, smiling brightly at his crush, his hands behind his head. Then he winced slightly, making Naruto look in worry at the boy.

"Kiba? Are you all right?"

The fanged boy smiled awkwardly at the hospitalized girl. "Hai, hai," he dismissed. But she kept looking at him with a stern, but still very worried look. He sighed, "All right then… One of the kunai kind of punctured my lung… and it was pretty close to hitting my spine. So it still hurts if I move the wrong way."

Hinata facepalmed, "Which is why they told you, you shouldn't train or do any excessive exercises. If it wasn't for Naruto-kun being here, I'd bet that you would be out in the forest, doing some crazy training to beat her."

Naruto picked up on that, "What do you mean?" She looked at Kiba, "You haven't left the hospital for two days?" She looked at Hinata, "Neither of you?" Her teammates could see that the redhead was genuinely surprised by it.

"Of course not!" Kiba grinned at her. Even with how crappy she felt, she couldn't help but feel happy… She looked at Hinata,

"What about Hiashi-sama? I can't imagine that he was all too thrilled about it. Even Tsume must've been a little against it."

Hinata couldn't help but smile a little defiant smile, "No, he wasn't too thrilled about it."

Kiba just shrugged, "I just told her that it would probably be best that I just stayed at the hospital, since I'm technically not fully healed. Ka-chan seemed to buy it… but I think Hana-neechan knew that I was staying here for you." Naruto smiled; she hadn't met Hana more than a few times, but she seemed nice enough. At least the previous Inuzuka heir didn't seem to hate her like the pest. Her attention snapped back to the present when the brown-haired boy continued to talk. "And it isn't true that I stayed here _all_ the time. I got food for me and Hinata, and went for small walks with Akamaru."

Naruto looked around the room, "Now that you mention him, where is the little fur-ball?"

"He's delivering a note to Kurenai-sensei," the lavender-eyed girl answered. "Then we don't have to leave, and it's much faster with his nose anyway." Kiba nodded in agreement.

GROOOOOWL

Naruto almost jumped in surprise as the sound emanated from her stomach. She laid a hand on it; now that she actually thought about it, she was very hungry. She looked up to see Kiba laughing his ass off,

"Hungry?" he asked, already reaching for one of the unopened Ichiraku ramen boxes.

She didn't trust her voice to answer, being as embarrassed as she was, so she only nodded and accepted the food. She opened it and took a big whiff, making her stomach growl again, and got Kiba laughing again. She tried to shoot him a glare, but it wasn't very successful. She broke the chopstick apart and dug into the delicious ramen.

* * *

Hiruzen breathed in another whiff off his lit pipe. He raised his eyebrow at a particular part of the scroll he was reading. It was from Onoki, the Tsuchikage, about this whole ordeal. Hiruzen had been pleased that Onoki had taken action himself after this incident, and that it wasn't himself that had to contact the leader of Iwagakure. And there was more; Onoki admitted that it was his fault that this had happened – very unusual for the old geezer. But to his… defense, it would be very hard for him to prove otherwise, as the battles had taken place a good three kilometers on Hi no Kuni's side of the border. And Onoki knew how bad this looked… So he had been generous. The whole borderland was to be handed over to Konohagakure – that, and the banishment of the Shirogane Clan from Iwagakure no Sato. Hiruzen nodded to himself; this was something he could work with. He looked up at the two figures in front of him, focusing on the smaller of them. It was an Iwa-nin – Kurotsuchi, granddaughter of Onoki, to be more exact. And as far as the old Hokage had understood, she had been the one taking initiative to ambassador this whole ordeal. Very impressive for someone her age.

"These conditions seem acceptable," he answered and rolled the scroll back together. "But, you must understand, I must take it up with the village council first."

"Ah, yes. Konoha has a village council for the civilians too, hasn't it?" the Iwa kunoichi asked. It was neither negative nor positive – it was just a statement.

Hiruzen smiled on the inside; it was most likely a whole new thing for this girl, the non-shinobi part of the population having even an ounce of power. In Iwagakure it could just as well be all the power that was lying with the shinobi – and most of that power in the hands of the Tsuchikage. Then he nodded as answer to her statement. "Yes, that is correct." He turned his attention towards the other kunoichi in the room; Yuhi Kurenai, jounin-sensei of Team 8. "What do you think? You were there, so is this enough compensation in your opinion," he asked, throwing the scroll to the rookie jounin.

Kurotsuchi looked surprised that Hokage would ask his subordinate for an opinion – and a kunoichi in addition to that. '_Konoha is very different than Iwa…_' she observed.

- Flashback, a few days ago in Iwagakure no Sato –

_Kurotsuchi was standing at attention outside her grandfather's office. She didn't pay much attention to the people who were walking the long stone hallway, stopping only a second to bow to the 'honorable granddaughter'. She scoffed mentally to herself; they were all just trying to suck up to her, to get a good word in with the Tsuchikage. Not that it would work anyway; her grandfather treated her like he would any other shinobi of Iwagakure… Ok, maybe he treated her just the tiny bit better, but she suspected that it was because of her skill and kekkei genkai, more than their actual blood-relation. And it wasn't like he didn't love his family; he just chose to show it differently than many others._

_But that wasn't what was on her mind right now. She had just broken her mission off to come back and report of what had happened. One of her teammates – Tadashi of the Shirogane Clan – had gone out on a complete rampage when he had seen some redheaded chick from the Konohagakure. He had been yelling all things about 'The Treacherous Uzumaki Clan', and that he should've 'Killed her off back then.' Their team captain had knocked him out, and had sent her back right away to report. Somehow, however, the word of the Uzumaki had already reached the other Shirogane Clan members, and they had tried to rile up other Shinobi to go and kill the kunoichi off. Her grandfather had, of course, ordered them to his office right away._

'The Shirogane Clan…'_ she mulled to herself. Every time their name had come up, her grandfather would always get a little tense – and he never got tense. And it troubled her, because she didn't knew much about them. And nobody either couldn't or wouldn't tell her. What she did know was that they were an old clan – and one of the only one established in the village. Because of that, they were the only shinobi that had power in the village, other than the Tsuchikage. And they had used that power to challenge the decisions of Shodai through the Sandaime Tsuchikage many times – they even tried to do a coup d'état during the reign of the Nidaime Tsuchikage… Her thoughts were brought to an end as she heard her grandfather's voice._

"_Damn it, I said NO! I don't care of the history between the Shirogane Clan and the Uzumaki Clan; you are not going to assassinate a genin from another village! Do you even comprehend the consequences of such actions!? We could start the Fourth Great Shinobi War! We're still recovering from the Third War, while Konoha has been enjoying the spoils of war!" Kurotsuchi winced; he didn't sound happy._

"_Old Geezer! We are the Shirogane Clan! We do as we will! And no one is going to stop us from killing every last of those of the Uzumaki clan, no matter if they are from Konoha, Kumo, or even Iwa! None will live!" the answer came. Kurotsuchi recognized the voice as the Shirogane Clan Head._

"_You are still shinobi of Iwagakure!" Onoki hissed. "You answer only to the Tsuchikage, no matter your own opinion, you will obey!"_

_There was a heavy silence for about ten seconds. Then the answer came from the Shirogane Clan head, "We will see how long we will have you obey, Geezer!"_

_She heard steps coming towards the door. The door flew open, and out walked three Shirogane Clan members; two men and a woman. The Head of the clan glanced at her briefly before continuing down the hallway, pushing anyone who got in his way, out of the way._

- Flashback End –

It hadn't been five minutes after that that explosions were set off all over the city. It had been a bad déjà vu for her, reminding her when Deidara had bombed the city and left years earlier. When the chaos was over, and the administration was checking on the shinobi, the whole Shirogane Clan's estate was found vacant. She had been sent back right away with three ANBU to escort the missing Shirogane… she had been too late, obviously. They had found the three Shirogane Clan members with the Konoha shinobi, two of them dead, and the last badly beaten. One of them had been Tadashi… The rest of the small clan was nowhere in sight. After some communication with the Tsuchikage and Hokage – and a whole lot of pestering from her -, it was decided that she would go to Konoha to ambassador this whole ordeal, while the ANBU went on to look for the Shirogane Clan. They had tried to get Shirogane Sayuri, but the Konoha Jounin, Yuhi Kurenai, had insisted otherwise. She was now a prisoner in Konoha's dungeons. She had been given a hotel room with 'guards to protect her' for the night, and she had received a letter from the Tsuchikage earlier. The same letter that Yuhi was reading at the moment.

"This seems acceptable…" Kurenai said, rolling the scroll together in the same fashion the Hokage had done. She sighed deeply, "I just hope that Naruto will be able to accept it…"

The door sprung open, and in ran a happy white puppy. Kurotsuchi looked at her Konoha counterparts to see how she reacted to his; neither of them seemed surprised. The jounin crouched down and picked up the puppy, who was trying hard to greet her with a small shower of spit.

"Akamaru, easy boy. What do you have here?" she said to the ninken puppy. She untied a small message from his color and read it. She smiled broadly when she gave the letter to the Sandaime Hokage. It didn't take long for him to read it, and now he was also sitting with a content smile on his face. Kurotsuchi was burning to ask what the message was, but she knew that she had no right to know it. Hell, she had no right to know it in her own village.

Hiruzen could see that the Iwa kunoichi's eyes were burning with a question. He smiled at her, "Naruto-chan has awoken." She looked confused; she didn't know anyone by the name of Naruto. The jounin to the right of answered her before she could ask.

"Uzumaki Naruto was the red-haired genin who killed Tadashi," she explained. She turned towards her superior, "Hokage-sama, if you will excuse me, I will and see to my students now."

Hiruzen nodded. "Of course. And please give Naruto-chan my regards – I will visit her in the evening." Kurenai bowed and began walking out of the office. However, Kurotsuchi spoke up before she reached the door,

"Sandaime Hokage-sama, if you will allow it, I would like to see the Uzumaki heiress as well." Both of the Konoha shinobi's eyes narrowed.

"Why?" the Hokage asked simply.

The Tsuchikage's granddaughter brought up her hands to show her innocence. "Nothing bad, I promise. I would like to give her an official apology on behalf of Iwagakure no Sato. If we want peace between our villages, it will be easier if one of the clan heads in Konoha don't hold a grudge against us."

"I don't know…" Hiruzen said.

"Hokage-sama," Kurenai said, bringing the old monkey's eyes to her. "I think it will be good for Naruto if you allowed it."

"How so?"

"Well," she started explaining. "Naruto seems to think that she really holds a grudge towards Iwagakure no Sato. But from what I have understood, it's the Shirogane she really holds a grudge against. It has just been passed on to Iwa, in the belief that they support the Shirogane Clan's actions. It would be good for her to see an Iwa-nin that isn't out to kill her, but actually wants peace."

There was silence in the room for the next minute, as The Professor looked the two kunoichi in the eyes. "Very well…"

* * *

"Get her!"

CRASH

"Don't let her escape!"

BOOM

"Hokage-sama will have our heads if we let her go before she's fully healed!"

SHRIEK

Kurenai and Kurotsuchi were standing outside Konoha Hospital. The Iwa-nin was wondering what kind of hospital this was… judging from the sounds, she wouldn't want to know. They were about to enter when a redhead burst through the doors, only to be grabbed by what looked like three nurses.

"Come on! I'm fully recovered!" sounded the annoyed voice.

"No you're not!" one of the nurses snapped. "You woke up from a semi-coma only one and a half hours ago! It's hospital policy to keep patients _in bed_ for twenty-hour hours after they've awoken!" One of the male nurses picked up the girl and slung her over her shoulder. She crossed her arms,

"Hospital policy my ass…" Then they disappeared inside again.

The two kunoichi were left outside in complete silence. Finally the Iwa-nin broke the silence,

"Wasn't that…?"

Kurenai nodded. "That was Naruto, yes."

"And why….?"

The Konoha jounin sighed and half hid her face in her hand, "She _really_ hates being in a hospital."

* * *

**Authors Note:** And done! Yeah, I know the chapter is a bit short… but I would rather give you a shorter chapter now, than probably have to wait to next weekend to finish it. I hope you liked it anyway.

So, I've actually thought a lot about if I should start the chapter just after where last chapter ended, or if I should start it as I did. It's pretty clear what I chose to do. I hope that you accept the flashback I gave Kurotsuchi as a good was to compensate :). The reason I did it was that I really wanted to get this arc wrapped up. It's been going on for enough time now, in my opinion anyway.

And then you got to see more of Kurotsuchi! She will be gone for a little while – but she will make an appearance again, don't you worry about that. It can be that it will be a while. I can already tell you that I won't put any extra genin into the chunin exams – from anywhere. You may think badly about it, but I don't want to make the chunin exams arc longer than necessary. I REALLY want to get to the shippuden arcs :). Then there will be a couple of more original arcs, and most likely also story 'covers' of one or two of the movies.

And I know that it may be a little out of character for Naruto to act like she did in the last scene… but that was one thing I wanted to keep in her from the canon!Naruto. I love how he hates the hospital – probably because I hate it myself – so… yeah.

Oh, and before you ask how Naruto could be knocked out for two days, for only chakra exhaustion; it will be covered in the next chapter.

Well, that's actually all I have to say for now.

Until Next Time ;)


	12. Her Escape Attempts

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Girlyvader:** So true :)

It's good to hear :). Though, I do know that it would be within my abilities to write the walking scene - how the villagers react on having an Iwa shinobi inside the walls of the village. But I didn't have time, as I said.

**Roboguy45:** Yeah, the Shirogane are pretty obsessed with the Uzumaki clan. And it is a small clan - they haven't really recovered since the Uzumaki and Senju fought them. I would say that they're maybe fifteen to twenty persons at most.

**Macilnar:** While she is going to talk to Kurama eventually, it isn't time yet. I think I will do it the same time as canon!Naruto did in the manga - though the way she contacts him will be different.

**Chapter 12:** Her Escape Attempts

* * *

"_Get her!"_

_CRASH_

"_Don't let her escape!"_

_BOOM_

"_Hokage-sama will have our heads if we let her go before she's fully healed!"_

_SHRIEK_

_Kurenai and Kurotsuchi were standing outside Konoha Hospital. The Iwa-nin was wondering what kind of hospital this was… judging from the sounds, she wouldn't want to know. They were about to enter when a redhead burst through the doors, only to be grabbed by what looked like three nurses._

"_Come on! I'm fully recovered!" sounded the annoyed voice._

"_No you're not!" one of the nurses snapped. "You woke up from a semi-coma only one and a half hours ago! It's hospital policy to keep patients in bed for twenty-hour hours after they've awoken!" One of the male nurses picked up the girl and slung her over her shoulder. She crossed her arms,_

"_Hospital policy my ass…" Then they disappeared inside again._

_The two kunoichi were left outside in complete silence. Finally the Iwa-nin broke the silence,_

"_Wasn't that…?"_

_Kurenai nodded. "That was Naruto, yes."_

"_And why….?"_

_The Konoha jounin sighed and half hid her face in her hand, "She _really_ hates being in a hospital."_

* * *

The beautiful Uzumaki heiress was sitting in her bed. She wasn't sure whether she should be happy or angry: On one hand she was happy to see that her sensei – one of the few people she had learned to trust – was ok after the mission. On the other hand, she wasn't completely thrilled to see the Iwa kunoichi she had in tow. It was true that the girl wasn't a Shirogane clan member, but she was still part of the village that had eradicated her ancestral home. But… from what Hinata had told, this Iwa-nin, this 'Kurotsuchi', wasn't completely bad. She had even helped with her small knowledge of medical herb around the border… she had helped Kiba heal. So Naruto had decided to give her a _careful_ chance.

Kurenai smiled at her. "It's good to see you, Naruto." She turned her attention to her two other students, "I trust that she hasn't tried to run off too many times?"

Kiba shrugged, "Only four times."

"Five if you count the time she only made it out to the hallway," Hinata finished.

Kurenai didn't even try to hide her amused laugh. "So why haven't you tried again?"

Naruto sighed irritated before raising her right hand, showing it was handcuffed to the bed she was lying in. "It's not normal handcuffs," she answered when she saw her sensei's face. All of Team 8 knew that she was more than strong enough to break normal handcuffs. "I don't know what they are, but I can't break them… Damn doctors got smarter." The last was mumbled to herself, but with the room full of trained shinobi, none of them missed it. Her frown was quickly turned upside down, though, with Akamaru there to cheer her up.

Finally, the redhead turned her full attention towards the foreign shinobi. "So, I guess I owe you thanks for helping with Kiba's recovery. I am grateful for that… But if you don't mind, can you tell me what your name is, and why you're here?" She was as polite as ever with strangers.

Kurotsuchi bowed and gave her a wicked smile. "I'm Kurotsuchi, currently ambassador between Konohagakure no Sato and Iwagakure no Sato. I asked the honorable Sandaime Hokage-sama if it would be acceptable for me to be escorted by your sensei here, so I could talk to you about a few things.

The sapphire-eyed girl raised an eyebrow. "Is that all you are?"

The Tsuchikage's granddaughter rolled her eyes in a carefree manner. "Since you ask, I guess Hyuuga-san and Inuzuka-san has already told you." She paused to wait on a confirmation – Naruto just kept looking at her. "Sheesh, so serious. Yeah, I'm the Sandaime Tsuchikage's granddaughter. But I don't really like to talk about it – people just think that all my accomplishments are because of my blood-relation to him. I don't want people to assume I'm good just because of my name – they are going to assume I'm good because of my accomplishments!" Kurotsuchi had gotten a bit worked up, using big arm movements as she talked.

First the whiskered heiress just kept looking at the Iwa-nin. Then, ever so slowly, a small smile showed on her face. "You're ok – for an Iwa shinobi that is. If it weren't for the fact, that your village is sheltering the very people who are trying to wipe my clan off the map, I could consider… Well, never mind that."

"Actually," Kurotsuchi spoke up. "That's what I'm here to talk about. The Shirogane clan isn't part of the Iwagakure anymore."

"What?..." Naruto asked in disbelief.

"I said that the Shirogane Clan is no more a part of Iwagakure no Sato." She frowned, "Didn't Hyuuga-san tell you? I told her and Yuhi-san the reasons when you and Inuzuka-san were unconscious."

Kurenai decided to break into the conversation, when she saw how Naruto was looking at the now very flustered Hinata. "Actually, that's my fault. I told Hinata not to say anything to either of you," she said, referring to Kiba and Naruto, "before we knew all the details."

"Oh," it came from the dark-haired Iwa-nin. "Sorry, then. Anyhow, The Shirogane were so obsessed with killing you because of your clan name, that they were ready to start a war. The Tsuchikage did not wish that yet, and ordered them to stand down. When they didn't get their way, they triggered explosion all over the village, escaping in the confusion. Iwa ANBU are now hunting the remaining down, so that they can be put in the dungeons of Iwagakure." She could see that it was a lot to take in for the young Uzumaki, but she really wanted to get this out. "Furthermore, I am here to extent an official apology from the Tsuchikage to you, Uzumaki Naruto. This should never had happened… the Shirogane have been a pain for many years. He regrets that it almost took a war to get them."

The redhead took a deep breath and leaned back in her bed. This was a lot to take in; the Shirogane didn't have the protection of a village anymore – but neither did they have the restrictions of one. At least now, maybe jiji could put them officially in the public Bingo Book. She looked back at the foreign shinobi,

"I don't really know how to react to that… I need some time to think about stuff. But I appreciate that you took your time to come see me."

Kurotsuchi got the hidden message; she bowed with a small 'Uzumaki-san', and went to wait outside her room – she wasn't going to run about a foreign village by herself.

There was silent in the room for about a minute after the Iwa shinobi had left. Finally, Hinata broke the silence,

"Naruto-chan? Are you all right?"

The Uzumaki heiress mulled on the question for about a minute. "I… don't really know," she finally sighed. "As I said to Kurotsuchi; I need some time to think about things…"

"But you will be ok?" Kiba asked anxiously.

She smiled softly at him. "Yeah, I think I'll be just fine." The imprisoned – I mean hospitalized – girl turned towards her sensei. "Sensei, do you think you could get jiji to come visit if I haven't escaped by tomorrow? There are a few things I want to discuss with him. And with you."

"Of course," the jounin-sensei said, while sweat-dropping slightly at her casual tone when talking about escaping the hospital. "Actually," she continued, "Hokage-sama said that he would try and visit you tonight. I can come again there."

"That would be good. Tell him I'll just go to his office if I find a way out of this… nice institution," she said in the same casual tone, while smiling at the dark-haired woman.

"Right…" the Yuhi jounin said hesitantly. She glanced at the clock on the wall, "Sorry, but I think I have to go now. Iwa-san still needs to send a letter back to Sandaime Tsuchikage-sama." She started walking to the door, only stopping when her hand was on the door handle. She turned around and looked at her genin, but focus on the whiskered one. "Naruto, it was good to see you up and about again. And… don't feel guilt for what you had to do – you did what was necessary. If you hadn't killed him, he might've actually killed Kiba, or Hinata and me."

A brief, but very visible, pain flashed through the girl's eyes, but she quickly hid it away again. Kurenai had seen it, though. The sapphire-eyed girl nodded. "Hai, sensei. And thanks…"

* * *

Kurenai quietly closed the door. She turned around to see Kurotsuchi standing at attention. '_Konoha and Iwa really are different… It's no wonder we disagree on so many points,_' she thought to herself. But the red-clothed were doing pretty good, ignoring the distrustful glares she had gotten. Unbelievable, Kurenai thought, the glares weren't even half as bad as the ones Naruto was getting.

Kurotsuchi turned when she spotted Kurenai outside the door. "Will she be ok?" she asked, and surprised both herself and the Konoha jounin by being genuinely concerned for the Uzumaki heiress.

"Yes, she will be," Kurenai smiled at the Iwa-nin and started walking towards the hospital exit. "She's a tough kunoichi, you know. One of the strongest Konoha has produced in years. She could very well see her dream come true."

"Which is?" Kurotsuchi asked, getting curious.

"Becoming Hokage," Kurenai answered with confidence. She definitely believed her student could accomplish her dream.

The Iwa kunoichi stopped up for a second in surprise, before catching up to her Konoha counterpart. "A female Hokage?" she asked in a bit of skepticism.

"Kurotsuchi," Kurenai said, using the Iwa-nins name for the first time. "Konoha and Iwa are very different. While Konoha still has some prejudges against kunoichi – mainly because of 'fangirls' – it has gotten lots better. Especially after Tsunade-sama."

You would think that Kurotsuchi would feel the slightest offend at Kurenai's statement. But she knew that she was right; Iwa was ages behind Konoha on this particular subject. She really wished that her village would learn that even if you're a girl, you can still be a great shinobi.

* * *

Naruto was surprised when a few hours later three genin from her graduation class were standing in front of her in her room.

"Shikamaru? Choji? Shino?" she asked perplexed. "What are you doing here?"

Shikamaru sighed, "It's a drag, but since we were in the same graduation class, I feel obligated to come see if you are ok…"

"Yeah," Choji said with his mouth full of chips. "It's the first," munch, "time since we graduated that," munch, "Shikamaru has taken initiative to anything."

"We came here to visit you when you are sick," Shino said in his own monotone voice. "Why you may ask? Because that was friends and classmates does for each other."

After that they had been catching up with each other. Team 10 had a sensei almost as lazy as Shikamaru himself – Shikamaru had taken a liking to him right away, of course. Ino, not so much. Though, he was better than Shino's sensei: from what he had told – with a lot of buzzing going on below his coat – his sensei, one Hatake Kakashi, were always late by _at least_ three hours.

"What about your sensei?" Shino asked. "Why you may ask? Because it's normal custom to tell about your own experiences, when you have heard others." Naruto sweat-dropped at the bug boys antics.

"Well…" Hinata started answering. She didn't really brag about their sensei, but she was pretty good. She always showed up on time, she taught them the things they needed and more, and she allowed them to confide in her.

"Well," munch, "what?" Choji intrigued

"Wow, your senseis must suck!" Kiba said, not catching Hinata's intention at all. "Kurenai-sensei is completely awesome! She always show up on time, and she's always teaching us things."

"Auf, auf!" Akamaru agreed from his seat on Naruto's lap.

Then a lecherous grin spread on his face. "And then she's hot- OUCH! What was that for, Princess?"

"I told you not to call me that," Naruto frowned pulling up her dowet. "And even if I'm handcuffed to this bed, don't think I'll let you go around and treat women like they're pieces of furniture!"

The genins from the other teams just starred at the little scene. Shikamaru coughed in his hand to break the two love-birds attention. "By the way, Naruto. _Why_ are you handcuffed to your bed?"

Naruto shrugged, "They don't want me to escape." The three boys looked at her in disbelief. She didn't really care about it and continued their conversation, "So how are you doing on your new teams? With Ino? And Sasuke and Sakura, right?"

A sense of dread could be sensed from the Aburame heir could be felt, though it didn't show at all. "It is… challenging," he finally said. "Haruno-san is all about Uchiha-san – so much that it affects our missions and teamwork -, and Uchiha-san is all about getting more power. Apparently he wants to revenge his clan or something… he said something about 'killing a certain someone'." The rest of the genin in the room looked a little scared or offended by the 'dream' that the last loyal Uchiha had.

"It's understandable," Naruto said plain as day, drawing looks from all the new shinobi.

Choji frowned at her. "How could you," munch, "think that it's ok to," munch, "to kill someone just for," munch munch, "revenge?"

"I didn't say that I think it's ok to kill for revenge," she sighed. "But," the whiskered girl continued seriously, "I can at least understand him. Even I, who have never known how it was to be a part of the Uzumaki clan, can sympathize with how he feels." She saw the distraught look in all the clan heirs in the room. "Maybe you have to be in the position yourself… Even if that teme and I both have lost our clans, the Uzumaki clan was pretty much eradicated long before I was born, whereas the Uchiha clan was slaughtered in front of his eyes.

"You have given me much to think about," Shino said. "You have my thanks for giving me another perspective on the subject. I believe that it will help me to at least understand Uchiha-san." She nodded at him, acknowledging his statement, and as to say 'anytime'. An awkward silence settled on the room once again. This time it was Kiba who broke it.

"So," he began. "How's teaming up with Ino? I mean, I think she's really hot- OUCH! Hinata! What was that for?"

"You know Kiba-kun," she said, redness blushing a bit. "Sometimes you are really sweet and kind. And then some other times you can be a real pervert."

Choji opened another bag of chips and sat on one of the chairs. "She's all right, I guess," he said munching on his precious food. "She just get really mean sometimes. And she can hit like really hard."

"Not as hard as Naruto…" Kiba said rubbing the bump on his head. No one paid attention to the self-pitying boy, though.

"She pretty troublesome." Shikamaru continued. "She doesn't eat breakfast, so she gets angry easily – as if she didn't have a low temper all ready."

"Still a fangirl?" the redhead asked with a raised eyebrow. Both boys just nodded solemnly. Another silence settled on the room – this one rather pleasant though. It was only interrupted when Naruto tried to break free from the cuffs by pulling on it. The three boys suddenly understood why Kiba had said what he had; each time the girl pulled, the hinged that fastened the bed to the wall creaked. And it was evident that she had already succeeded once, if you judged by the new and large screws.

Then an idea popped in her head. "Hey Shikamaru, could you go get me a glass of water?"

"Troublesome, hospital-escaping girl…" it came mumbling from Shikamaru. But he did as she had asked, and started walking. When he came back with a glass of water a minute later, they had all expected her to drink. Kiba and Hinata snickered at their faces as Naruto pushed her chakra into the water and manipulated it to float in the air.

"Now we just have to make it to something sharp…" she said to herself more than the other genin in the room. With a few motions with her hand she had a _very_ sharp looking saw levitating in front of her. She smirked, "perfect." With another motion with her free hand she moved the saw, and before too long, she was free.

"Thank you Shikamaru," she smiled to him before she left out the door. Not more than a few seconds later, crashes, screams, shrieks, and yells could be heard. One particular yell caught Shikamaru's ears; 'Who the hell gave the girl water!? I thought we told everyone NOT to bring her any water without supervision from a staff member!'

The genius Nara looked at the two remaining members of Team 8. "You knew," he stated at Kiba.

"Of course we knew," Kiba snickered. "Why do you think brought her water the first time? We aren't allowed to get any water without a doctor or nurse being present either." He was outright laughing now.

"You both knew?" he asked, looking at the also snickering Hyuuga girl.

Hinata nodded, "Yep."

The Nara heir sighed, "This is just too troublesome…"

* * *

Evening finally came. As the old Hokage entered the room with Team 8's sensei, the last Uzumaki turned towards her teammates.

"Kiba, Hinata, maybe you should take Akamaru for a walk," she suggested.

"But-" Kiba began, but Hinata, catching the not so subtle hint, cut him off.

"Of course, Naruto-chan," the pale-eyed girl said. She grabbed Kiba and started walking towards the door, the white puppy happily following them. "Hokage-sama," she bowed briefly as she passed him, him nodding in return.

"Do either of you have a slip of Fuinjutsu paper?" Naruto asked the two older shinobi, just as the door had closed behind her teammates.

"I do," Kurenai said and rumbled through her pouch. She hesitated with giving it to her student,

"Don't worry, I won't use much chakra," she sighed, rolling her eyes slightly. Kurenai handed the slip of paper with an amused smile. Naruto took the paper in her free hand – her other having been cuffed to the bed again – and closed her eyes in concentration. Slowly the kanji for 'block' and 'privacy' appeared on the paper. But when she used her chakra, something happened before; the seal appeared on her stomach.

"That's…" Kurenai gasped.

"Indeed," Hiruzen said frowning. "That is the seal. It has been a while since I've seen…"

Naruto looked down on her stomach, now decorated with a big black swirl that was the seal. "I've never seen it before. How could you-"

"How could I have seen it when you haven't?" Hiruzen asked with a smile that said that there was nothing to be afraid of. '_Yet, anyway,_' he thought to himself. "Your seal," he said, "was visible for four days after the Kyuubi was sealed. But it faded away ever so slowly. Like it's doing now." Just as he had said, the black swirl of signs faded away. At last there was only her bare stomach.

"That's going to be a problem if it keeps popping up…" she sighed and handed the to the old Hokage. The two grown-up shinobi blinked a few times at the paper, impressed by the small feat she had shown. Hiruzen knew that only the Uzumaki clan used their chakra as ink – it was a diversion of medical ninjutsu, changing the pigment of the cells. He took a look at the paper and smiled.

"I see you really have inherited your clan's aptitude for fuinjutsu, huh?" he said, putting it up on the wall and channeled chakra into it. He was surprised by how much it drained; Naruto had made a rather strong seal. "Impressive," he nodded. He grabbed a chair and sat down beside the bed. "Now, dear, how do you feel? I understand that you wanted to talk to me?"

"Hai," the red-haired girl nodded. "You and Kurenai-sensei…" there was a brief pause as Naruto tried to figure out how she should start. She figured she could just as well just say what was on her mind. "Back at the border… That was the Kyuubi's chakra, wasn't it?"

"That it most certainly true from what Kurenai-san explained," the Sandaime said solemnly.

"How could that happen? Is the seal breaking!?" Naruto asked in slight panic.

"Well… yes and no," Hiruzen answered. "The seal was designed to weaken ever so slightly over time, letting the Kyuubi's chakra slowly merge with your own. That is partly the cause for your big chakra capacity – other than your heritage, and the normal chakra increase for jinchuuriki."

"But it didn't 'merge' at the border. It was like it took completely control. Did this ever happen to ka-chan or Mito-sama?" It was clear to the two older shinobi that the whiskered girl was distraught over this.

"No… Neither Kushina-chan nor Mito-hime tapped into its chakra…"

"If I may, Hokage-sama," Kurenai said. "I think I have a theory."

"By all means," Hiruzen allowed.

"At the border, when you fought Tadashi, you thought that he had killed Kiba. Isn't that right?" Kurenai asked. Naruto flinched at the memory. While Kiba hadn't actually died, the feelings she had felt when she thought he did, had been very real. She settled with just nodding. "Well," Kurenai continued. "If I was to take a guess, I would say that that emotional trauma could've been enough for you to tap into the seal."

Naruto rubbed her belly where the seal had appeared, just thinking of their former mission. Then she remembered a certain incident. "Is it possible that it was the Kyuubi who broke me free of those genjutsu on the mission?"

"That's right," Kurenai said frowning. "You did break out of the Shirogane's genjutsu awfully quickly. I didn't feel any chakra spike or anything from you at the time. But the _Magen: Oni Kokai_ still worked…"

Hiruzen didn't speak right away. "Kurenai, cast a genjutsu on Naruto-chan," he finally said. He had figured the fastest way of testing if it was true, was to cast a genjutsu on the girl and see what happened. Kurenai nodded and quickly cast a seal-less genjutsu on her student.

The scenery quickly changed in front of Naruto's eyes. She could have sworn that she was now in the middle of a desert, with a cactus by her side. But as soon as it appeared, she felt that now familiar tuck in her belly, and she was back in the hospital bed. She blinked to get the haziness away from her eyes, and looked down at her stomach. The seal was proudly showing itself again. Naruto sighed, "Yeah, that's definitely going to become a problem."

"Hmm…" the old Hokage agreed. "I think it's pretty safe to say that the Kyuubi is breaking the genjutsu."

Kurenai frowned, "how come _Magen: Oni Kokai_ worked, then?"

"That's the second time you mention that name," Naruto stated. "What is it?"

"It's the genjutsu Kurenai used on you to suppress the Kyuubi's chakra, Naruto-chan" the Sandaime answered. "And to answer your question, Kurenai; _Magen: Oni Kokai_ isn't purely a genjutsu." That surprised the Yuhi jounin. "While it 'attacks' the target like a genjutsu, it acts more a ninjutsu. The user's chakra enters the target through one of the five senses, after which it will quickly flow through the target. If it finds any demonic chakra, or something of the likes of demonic chakra, then it will start manipulating the targets chakra by activating the defense that should repel foreign chakra. A side effect is that the target's chakra will be in overdrive for a day time after the jutsu is cast, and that prevents new chakra to be produced as fast as normal."

"Is that why it took _me_ so long to recover from this?" the whiskered girl asked. The Sarutobi clan member nodded, leaving the room silent. A moment after Naruto's head whipped towards the right with a frown on her face.

"Is something wrong?" it from the jounin-sensei.

"It's… I swear, you're going to think I'm crazy." Naruto turned her face towards the two curious looking people in front of her. "I think…" she started. "I think I might've begun to 'sense' things."

"Sense things?" Kurenai asked

"Yeah," the redhead answered. "Like chakra. Right now it's more like a pull. I can feel that you are standing there, but I also think that I can feel two people next room, one above me. And I feel two people keep walking down the hallway outside." She shook her head with a smile, "But I'm sure I'm just a bit exhausted."

"Maybe," Hiruzen halfhearted agree. "Maybe not. But you're right: even if we tried testing if you have developed chakra sensitivity, in your current condition we wouldn't be able to trust the results. We'll test it in a few days, when you're fully recovered."

Naruto nodded, following by a large yawn.

"Hokage-sama, maybe we should let her get some rest," Kurenai suggested with a sweet smile.

Hiruzen nodded, "You're right." He got up and hugged the girl, who just as well be his granddaughter. "Get well soon."

"You know," the sapphire-eyed girl said with a gleam in her eyes. "If you would just release me, I bet that I would recover much faster."

"Or you could just try _not_ to waste chakra escape-attempts," the Hokage deadpanned. "But nice try."

With that the two older shinobi made their way out.

* * *

**Authors Note:** And that is officially the end of 'Defense of the Border' Arc. I know that it was a kind of short chapter again, but I didn't want to put more scenes in here – that would just be pointless. And while it's true that I could start writing some of the scenes from next chapter, which would just mean that I would have to end the chapter an awkward place.

I know that some of you may think that this was a boring chapter. And it is, compared to many of the actions-filled chapters that I have written lately (not counting chapter 11). But I really think that this was the best way to end the arc. I hope that you agree with me.

Now, you (hopefully) got some answers in this chapter. I tried to mix the serious with some humor. And Kami does it feels good to write something that isn't that serious – I've written way too much of that the last few chapters. So it's good with some change.

A little side note; this will be the last time for a while that you will see Kurostuchi. But now Naruto have met her, and actually have a person within Iwa that she kind of respects.

Next chapter will be a kind of filler. We will have a small timeskip on a few weeks. We will see Team 8 train with Team Gai. And hopefully I will get to start of 'The Land of Waves' arc. And as I've said before; it will be Team 8 backing up Team 7, so it won't be the 'full' arc. But the battle of the great Naruto bridge will be in a few chapters.

Also, I hope that you have noticed Naruto's change in personality. I really hope that I'm not doing it too fast – please tell me if you think that. She is still held back with people, but she is opening ever so slowly. I think after 80k+ words its ok :). And especially after a mission like she have had; it sets some thoughts in motion.

That is really all I have to say to you for now.

Until Next Time :)

**Magen: Oni Kokai – Demonic Illusion: Demon Repent:** A very strong genjutsu passed down in the Konohagakure no Sato. It is used to suppress or expel foreign chakra in the targets body.


	13. Her New Friend

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Macilnar:** If she was fully recovered, and if she could/would hurt people, she could definitely get out.

Yeah, chakra sensory will be very useful - especially on a team with the Inuzuka nose and the Hyuuga eyes. I already have an idea for a use of it – which you will find out in this chapter. Also, while it would be pretty cool, she will not get Kushina's chakra chains. I could probably pull that she inherited them, but I really don't think that it fits this fic.

I'm glad that you like that I update every few days - at the moment. But I am still in school, and there will be periods where I'm going to stop writing, and do my work if it ever piles up

**Gruffard:** Yeah, I think I'm going to have her buy a new set of clothes. Maybe even meet Tenten before the training with her team. But I'll not tell what her new outfit will be ;) you will have to read this chapter to find out ;)

And yes, TRToK!Naruto doesn't have as much control - or rather lag more control - than canon!Naruto regarding Kurama. But as I think I've said before; she has a lot more baggage than canon!Naruto. The curse of being bright, sadly, is to understand a lot more. Bad as well as good.

While she will be making appearances again – though, I'll be honest, I don't know how -, she won't replace or have the same relationship/bond that Naruto has with Gaara. She wouldn't understand on the same level as they do, since she isn't a jinchuuriki.

**Roboguy45: **Well, it does make sense for the Uzumaki clan to have such an ability, doesn't it? If you have such an aptitude in fuinjutsu as they have, they would make it as 'easy' as possible - meaning that they wouldn't have to depend on, for example, ink.

And who would pay the bounty if someone caught the Shirogane Clan members... to be perfectly honest, I hadn't thought about that. But I believe that it would be the village who paid it: the Shirogane did attack Konoha when Naruto was 10, and killed several shinobi, before kidnapping a clan heiress.

**Chapter 13:** Her New Friend

* * *

"_Sense things?" Kurenai asked_

"_Yeah," the redhead answered. "Like chakra. Right now it's more like a pull. I can feel that you are standing there, but I also think that I can feel two people next room, one above me. And I feel two people keep walking down the hallway outside." She shook her head with a smile, "But I'm sure I'm just a bit exhausted."_

"_Maybe," Hiruzen halfhearted agree. "Maybe not. But you're right: even if we tried testing if you have developed chakra sensitivity, in your current condition we wouldn't be able to trust the results. We'll test it in a few days, when you're fully recovered."_

_Naruto nodded, following by a large yawn._

"_Hokage-sama, maybe we should let her get some rest," Kurenai suggested with a sweet smile._

_Hiruzen nodded, "You're right." He got up and hugged the girl, who just as well be his granddaughter. "Get well soon."_

"_You know," the sapphire-eyed girl said with a gleam in her eyes. "If you would just release me, I bet that I would recover much faster."_

"_Or you could just try not to waste chakra escape-attempts," the Hokage deadpanned. "But nice try."_

_With that the two older shinobi made their way out._

* * *

Naruto blew on the hair that had fallen down onto her face, blocking her vision slightly. She ignored the villagers as she walked down the street, looking for any clothing store that _wouldn't_ turn the prices ridiculously high as soon as she entered – a task much harder than you would think. But there was no helping it; as much as she loved the shinobi outfit Kiba had gotten her, it simply wasn't sufficient enough. She felt a bump and looked down at a kid who had run into her.

"S-sorry…," he said, scrambling to get up and away from the 'demon bitch'.

She ignored it, sighing mentally; she couldn't wait for the day she could walk around without her mask on. Though, since the mission to the border, her mask had slipped ever so slightly. The civilians wouldn't notice, but she knew some of the more experienced shinobi did. And after her big slip in the hospital, Chouji, Shikamaru, and Shino had all become slightly friendlier towards her. That though caused her to smile slightly – another proof of her mask slipping. She ignored it for now and looked into the sky, thinking of what had happened since her trip to the priso- to that _lovely_ hospital.

The last five weeks had gone by rather fast, and Team 8 had trained as hard as ever. Naruto had been released from the hospital two days after the Hokage's visit – much to the hospital personals delight. As soon as she had been released, she went to the old Sarutobi, wanting to test if she had developed chakra sensitivity. As it turned out, she had it, and it was rather strong for someone who had just developed the ability. As it was now, she could sense where people were in about twenty meter radius around her, but not how they moved. Hiruzen had told her that it was only a matter of training it, just as she would anything. He had even mentioned that Uzumaki Mito also had chakra sensitivity – so much that she could sense if people had evil intentions. So, she went on to use an hour every morning before practice, sitting on a roof by the main road, and just _sensed_ people. It didn't take long till she didn't consciously noticed it, but it was just like a sixth sense to her.

And, as Kurenai had told them, they had moved on from physical training – though they still did the morning routine – and was slowly starting on the broad subject of ninjutsu. Before they started on 'the real deal', as Kiba had referred to it as, the sensei of Team 8 wanted them to have sufficient chakra control, so they didn't burn out from a single jutsu. And thus they had started tree, and completed, tree-climbing.

As was to be expected, Hinata did it on her first try. Kiba was also on the top of the tree a day after. And left was the Uzumaki heiress, barely making it half-way up the tree. What had annoyed her more was that this was the only thing she couldn't use her _Kage Bunshin_ for – since it split her chakra up, it also made it just the slightest easier to control the chakra that was left. So she had to bite the sour apple, and just practice, practice, and practice. Of course, she eventually got it – three and a half days after the Inuzuka heir had completed the exercise. By then, the redhead's teammates had moved on to water-walking. Again, Hinata had completed it within two days. But Kiba was still having problems when Naruto started water-walking – and it was really hard to hide that she enjoyed it.

Days later, when both Kiba and Naruto had actually learned to stand on the water, and Hinata was able to stand on it over a period of time, Kurenai decided that it was time to start them on 'the real deal'. She had started small, and taught them one raiton jutsu – she insisted that they had learned to use the jutsu to a certain degree, before she started on any other. It was the one she had used in her fight against Shirogane Hiro. Kiba had complained loudly when she told him that it didn't have a name. Of course, that had ended once he saw evidence of sparks flying out of the palms of his hands.

Hinata had showed real promise with the raiton jutsu. She had been allowed to test if she had the affinity, though she first had to promise she wouldn't start training nature manipulation just yet. It had been clear by how the paper had crumbled together that the Hyuuga princess had the affinity for ration. She had been pleased; raiton was mostly useful in close taijutsu battle.

Of course, that had made the Inuzuka boy throw a small tantrum; both his teammates now knew their affinity, and he didn't. Kurenai had been a bit hesitant to allow him to find out – making the fanged boy pout even more -, because of his usual nature when it came to training. But he had been allowed to find out at last, after promising Kurenai seven times that he wouldn't start training nature manipulation before she thought he was ready. That, and _she_ had promised _him_ that if she found out that he had actually done it anyway, she would make sure he would get the lousiest jobs on their missions. For three years. And something about not being able to have children. But dense as he was, it had taken a small whisper of an explanation from Naruto, before he had jumped back four meters, covering his 'special area'.

As it turned out, Kiba had shown to have one of the rarer affinities – fuuton. It was pretty perfect for his battle-style; it was used in close to mid-length distance fights. Before they moved on, Kurenai had strongly reminded him of both his and her own promises.

After they were able to use the raiton jutsu with efficient effect, she had chosen to teach them the principles behind one low-rank jutsu from their affinity. Kiba was trying to learn _Fuuton: Reppusho_, while Hinata was having much success with _Raiton: Hiraishin_. Meanwhile, Naruto had asked her sensei if there was any suiton jutsu that cut off the opponent's senses, now that all the members of Team 8 effectively had a sensing system, whether it be by kekkei genkai, enhanced senses, or chakra sensitivity.

Kurenai had been pleasantly surprised by the question. If Team 8 learned to somehow cut of the enemies' senses, while still being able to navigate and fight, it would be a big advantage. She had berated herself a bit now thinking of it as soon as the whiskered girl's chakra sensitivity had been confirmed.

At that thought Kurenai had taught the Uzumaki heiress the low-ranked, but highly useful suiton jutsu; _Kirigakure no Jutsu_. It had been the perfect jutsu for the girl to learn; it was sufficient hard enough to keep her occupied for a little while, but not so hard that it would take too long. Furthermore, because of the tree- and water-walking training, and the training with _Suiton: Gyooshuku_ on their mission weeks earlier, the small chakra requirements weren't too much of a problem.

Naruto had chuckled darkly as she started training with the new jutsu; she could finally use her _Kage Bunshin_ again. And she did; she had summoned around fifty clones at first, all casting the jutsu at the same time. That had resulted in much of the forest around their training ground had been covered with _very_ dense fog. When Naruto realized that she had probably gone too far, she had dismissed half the clones, and restricted how much chakra she pumped into the jutsu.

In other areas, Naruto had finished the first book on fuinjutsu – the one she had gotten from the Sandaime Hokage on her graduation day. It had mostly taught her about the many principles behind seals, but it had had a few simple seals too; the Sealing Seal – which was the first seal she had learned –, the Explosion Seal, and the Weight Seal. The Weight seal had been all the way in the back of the book, only a few pages from the end. And when she read about it, she could understand; these were to restrict movements, much like weights would do. If you did them wrong, they could tear your arms right off.

As responsible as Naruto was, she had gone to Kurenai to ask if she was allowed to put some on herself, or if that would get in the way of the training she was planning for the team. Most fortunate, it didn't, and Naruto had gone to work right away, putting one on each of her arms and legs. She felt the effect right away – even when it was on the lowest level. But it wasn't _that_ hard to move around. Had she been any less knowledgeable, she might've been tempted to turn up the restriction level. But, she knew that it would probably tear her muscles, doing more damage than good – even with her healing rate.

Talking about seals… That was the whole reason she was looking for a store selling shinobi clothing. She had had more than few close calls with the seal, the one that held the Kyuubi, showing up in the middle of the training. She had always excused herself fast, and run away fast. But she knew Hinata had seen the seal – how couldn't she with her kekkei genkai active? But right now Naruto was hoping that the girl just thought it was some weird Uzumaki seal… as unlikely as that was. The Hyuuga heiress had seen how she acted at the border, and she wasn't dumb. But Hinata seemed to respect how she was feeling about the whole ordeal, and didn't ask any question… so far. Naruto knew it was only a matter of time.

Back to the present, Naruto was thrown out of yet another store. It wasn't as much as thrown out, as getting lots of not-so-well hidden hints that the owners didn't want her in there.

"Fine, I get it already. I'm going now," she sighed, still holding the mask.

"See to it that you are!" the old man that was the owner sneered.

Naruto didn't need any other clue – she was gone from the store. Though not before sending the owner a hard, calculated stare, that made him cold sweat. With that, the Uzumaki heiress walked out of the store.

She had been just the tiniest bit disgusted by the glee that the owner had in his eyes when he won. Of course, it was true that she could have pull the 'I'm a shinobi of Konohagakure, under the command of the Hokage' deal, but that would just spell problems for her grandfather-figure. And she really didn't want to give him any more of his hated paperwork, than he already had.

As she continued down the street, she caught sight of a store she hadn't seen before. But that wasn't really weird; she hardly ever shopped, and therefore didn't really pay attention to the stores. She got closer to read the sign. It was a kunai over the Konoha symbol, and on the lower part of the sign it read 'Higarashi Shinobi Articles'.

'_What the hell_,' Naruto thought to herself, and walked into yet another store – which she was pretty sure she was going to get kicked out of.

Looking around, the first thing Naruto noticed was that whoever owned this place had an obvious love for weapons. There were racks upon racks of weapons lining the entire shop. Swords, staves, scythes, tantos – it seemed that anything anyone could name was there. She was taken aback by how many there were lined up. She had never seen so many different weapons in one place ever, and some of these weapons she had never seen at all.

She looked around for the owners, but couldn't find any. The store was rather vacant of costumers, now that she actually looked. But she could hear some hammering with metal out back, and with the hammering, she could sense two people. So she decided to just started to look around. The more she looked, the more she had to agree that the store had almost everything a shinobi would need. The rare exception might be if someone really specialized into something…

They had everything from shuriken and kunai, to scrolls and ink, to racks of clothing to every imaginable mission. This was just what she needed. She started heading towards the clothes, and had almost reached them, when she sensed someone coming out of the back the store. For now, she just started looking through the racks of clothing, looking for anything she could use, and which wasn't too expensive.

Soon enough the whiskered heard steps going through the stores, towards her. The steps stopped right behind the Uzumaki heiress, and she waited on whoever was behind her to bellow at her to get out.

"Can I help you?" a girl's voice sounded behind her

_That_ Naruto hadn't expected. She turned around to come face to face with a girl around her own age, maybe a year older. She had dark brown eyes, and hair of a lighter brown. Her hair was set up in Chinese-style buns on either side of her head, with short fringe-bangs falling over her hitai-ate – she was definitely a shinobi. Her outfit consisted of a pink sleeveless blouse and dark green pants. What caught Naruto's eyes were the many sealing scrolls the girl had on her in special holsters. Maybe she was into fuinjutsu?

"You work here?" Naruto asked, getting back to looking through the clothes.

"That's right!" the girl said. "My name is Higarashi Tenten. My father owns this store so I come in and help when I'm not on missions." She stopped talking, giving Naruto the chance to introduce herself. Finally Tenten decided to ask when no introduction came. "So… what's your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto hummed, discarding another set of clothes – it was way to flashy with the colors. No one could hide with that on. She set it back into the rack.

"Wait, _the_ Uzumaki Naruto?" Tenten intrigued. Naruto, facing away from the girl, cringed. Here it came; she was going to get kicked out any moment now. "_The_ Uzumaki Naruto, who graduated top of this year's class? I heard you beat that stuck-up Uchiha heir! You totally rule!"

Naruto turned around and looked at the brown-haired girl in wonder. She blinked a few times. "What?" she asked almost dumb, and totally out of character. This was not something she was sued to… strangers talking to her like she was a normal person, and then praises her skills. She liked it.

"Yeah, it's awesome to know that there are still kunoichi who take their shinobi skills seriously," Tenten said smiling.

Naruto smiled back at the girl, before going back to the clothes. "How long have you been a shinobi?" Naruto asked.

"Not long," the answer came. "I graduated last year. But back then I wasn't that good. I wanted to be, but I didn't really have any extraordinary skills."

"Really? You seem to have rather good control of your chakra now," the redhead said without really thinking.

Tenten blinked, "I got what?"

As Tenten asked, Naruto realized what she had just blurted out, and mentally facepalmed. '_Damn you, Kiba!_' she almost screamed in her heard. '_Stop rubbing off on me!_'

She smiled awkwardly at the shop-owner's daughter. "Yeah… I kind of got chakra sensitivity." Naruto had expected the girl to try and get all her secrets out right then. Instead she was pleasantly surprised by the girl's answer.

"Okay, cool." Tenten looked as Naruto kept going through the clothes. "So… what exactly are you looking for? Working here and all, I might very well be able to help you find it."

It didn't take long for Naruto to think about that. "Sure," she answered with a smile. "Why not?"

"Great," the hazel-eyed girl half giggled in response. "So, what are you looking for exactly?" she asked.

"To be honest, I'm not completely sure…" Naruto answered, pondering what she really did want. "It has to be something that doesn't restrict my movements. And it can't have too flashy colors either, though I wouldn't mind some dark red or something like that… And it has to cover me up more than this," Naruto answered, motion to her current attire.

Tenten frowned. "Why would you want to change those clothes? They look really high quality."

"I'd rather not say," Naruto answered. It wasn't hostile or anything, but it was clear to Tenten that it was something she shouldn't poke her nose into.

She shrugged. "Wait here, I think I have a few attires that you might like." She started walking down the aisle, looking through the clothes, taking a set out here and there. "Do you also want a fishnet undershirt to go with the outfit?"

Naruto pulled slightly out her top, to look down on the one she was wearing. It had taken a bit of a beating on the border mission, and since in taijutsu training also. She shrugged, "I might as well."

It didn't take three minutes before she returned to Naruto with four different sets. She gave the redhead the clothes with a smile. "There's a changing room down back you can use."

Naruto nodded, walking a few steps. She bit her lip at what she was about to say. She took a deep breath, "Can you maybe be my second opinion?"

Tenten brightened up even more, "Sure thing."

They neared the changing room when one of the clothes sprung out at her. She turned around, pulling it out of the stack of clothes. It unfolded, showing itself to be a dark red full body-suit. Naruto looked from the body-suit to Tenten with a look that said 'are you kidding me?'

"Sorry," Tenten laughed. "My sensei told me I should offer body-suits to more people."

Naruto just shook her head, "I really don't mind what he is wearing – and Kami I hope I'll never see it -, but he is not getting me into one of those." With that she handed _it_ to her new friend, Tenten hurrying to get it back into the rack, and back to the changing room. By now Naruto was already changing.

A minute later Naruto came out in one of the outfits. She walked in front of mirror, looking at how it fit her. Now Naruto was wearing dark black shinobi pants that tucked into a pair of black shinobi sandals. He had a black sleeveless Chinese style shirt like hers but with a dark red trim and with the Uzumaki swirl on the back of it. A pair of dark red fingerless gloves went with it.

"It certainly fits and covers me up…" Naruto said to herself more than Tenten. She turned her back to the mirror, looking over her shoulder. "It even has my clan crest on it."

"Huh?" it came from Tenten. "Your clan's crest? I just thought it was the Konoha symbol for friendship."

"Well, it _is_ the Konoha symbol for friendship," Naruto answered, checking how she moved in the clothes. "But it was the Uzumaki clan crest, and the symbol of Uzushiogakure no Sato first. The crest was sown onto all Konoha flak jackets when Uzu was destroyed. To honor their dead allies and to remember the friendship Konoha still has to the Uzumaki clan."

"Interesting. I didn't know that," Tenten said.

Naruto shrugged, "hardly anyone but the oldest generation does." She took one more look in the mirror, "I think I'm going to try out one of the other outfits."

Tenten handed her the second outfit when she passed. "So," Tenten started. "Who are your teammates?"

"Hyuuga Hinata and Inuzuka Kiba," the answer came from inside the booth. "Kiba would probably have my say Akamaru too," she laughed lightly.

"Akamaru's a ninken then?"

"Hai," Naruto nodded. Not that Tenten could see it from where she was sitting. "Kurenai-sensei has tried to make him skip over those details, but when it comes to Akamaru, he just won't budge. Not that I can blame him; Akamaru does a really good job. And he is really sweet and cute."

"You are on Kurenai-sensei's team?"

Naruto got out of the booth and started walking back to the mirror. "Sensei? Have she also taught you?"

"Well, not yet, really." The brown-haired girl looked at how Naruto was trying out the fabrics stretch ability. "But she will soon. Gai-sensei is truly a master when it comes to taijutsu, but he doesn't teach genjutsu very well. So he asked Kurenai-sensei to teach us. Think it will be about a week from now."

The Uzumaki heiress threw a smile over her shoulder. "Then I'll look forward to that." She turned her attention back to the mirror: she really liked this outfit. It consists of a red Chinese-styled shirt with gold buttons and trimmings, cream colored pants and shoes that looked like a cross between Chinese flats and shinobi sandals. Her shinobi pouch was still on her left buttocks, while her shuriken holster was strapped around her right thigh.

"I really like this, but…" Naruto said to herself. She then untied her hitai-ate from her neck, and bound it around her head. She looked at that image for twenty seconds or so. "There is still something… Tenten, what do you think?"

"You look amazing," Tenten answered honestly. "And I think I have something as a finishing touch." The girl went behind the counter quickly, and went back with a small black silk piece. Naruto concluded it was used to tie the hair together. Tenten didn't wait for the girls permission, but began arranging the redheads hair.

A few minutes later she clapped her hands, "And done."

Naruto smiled, "Perfect." Instead of the 'free-style' Naruto had worn her hair in so far, her hair was now tied in a low ponytail with a fringe hanging over the right side of her face. And it looked pretty damned good.

"Tenten, are you out front?" a large and manly voice yelled. Tenten jumped in surprise, while Naruto just kept _admiring_ what she really hoped would become her new shinobi outfit. She, of course, had sensed the chakra from out back moving into the shop.

Naruto turned around to come face to face to a _very_ large man. He could just as well have been a bull! The man had muscles on every part of his body that Naruto could see. He had brown hair and brown eyes much like Tenten. He was wearing an off white shirt, brown pants and a pair of brown boots.

"Damn it tou-san!" Tenten shouted as she clutched a hand to her chest. "How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me? And especially when I'm with a customer!"

Tenten's dad merely laughed, "Ah take it easy Tenten. Beside aren't you shinobi supposed to be more aware of your surroundings?"

"Do you want to be used as target practice again?" Tenten asked with a maniacal gleam in her eyes and had one of her hands inside her kunai pouch.

"He's right, Tenten," it came from Naruto. She went to the large man and bowed, ignoring the small mutters that were coming from Tenten. She swore she heard something about 'chakra sensing' and 'easy to detect'. "It's nice to meet you Higarashi-san. You really got a great store here."

The large man patted his stomach as he laughed. Loudly. "You don't have to call me that. I'm just plain, old Kaito. And who, may I ask, are you?"

"Uzumaki Naruto," the whiskered girl responded. Naruto saw recognition flash through the Kaito's eyes. But instead of kicking her out, he simply went to the cash-register, still smiling as hard as ever.

"Well, Naruto, do you need anything else than that outfit?" Kaito asked.

"No, I don't think-" Naruto started saying

"Wait, I still haven't gotten you that fishnet undershirt," it came from Tenten, who hurried and got it. She came back with Naruto's old clothes and the new fishnet armor. "Here," she said and handed Naruto the clothes and fishnet in a bag. Then she went to her dad and handed him a note block. Kaito looked on the block, thereafter he typed a lot of things into the cash-register.

"Now all that stuff you got there will come to around 5,000 yen," Tenten's dad said. Naruto got a small scroll up from her pouch and unsealed her wallet – this caused the brown-eyed girl to raise her eyebrow in interest. She took up sufficient cash and handed it to Kaito.

"Here you are, Kaito."

Kaito nodded and accepted the money, counting them quickly to check that they all were there. He put them in the cash-register and smiled, "Thank you, my dear. Please do come again if you need anything."

"Oh, believe me I will." That was true. She had been looking for a _clothing _store all day that would not raise the prices too much, and here she had found a store with almost everything she could need. And they didn't charge her extra!

Naruto turned and smiled softly at her new friend. "And I guess I'll see you next week."

"Hai, see you then, Naruto."

"See you there."

* * *

**Authors Note:** Another chapter done. This was actually a lot easier to write than I thought at first: the words simply flowed out of me. And the 'late' update was more of me not got time to write, than actual lack of inspiration.

I hope you guys didn't mind that I 'skipped' all those training scenes, and wrote it as a kind-of flashback. There was just a lot to cover, and I wanted to move on with the story, while still having Naruto, Kiba, and Hinata progress skill wise.

Now, the scene – which pretty much is the chapter – filled a lot more than I first thought it would. But I thought it was worth it. It gave time for Naruto to get introduced to Tenten, a new friend. And she learned that not all of Konoha hates her from Kaito. Slowly but surely the ring of people she trust – more or less – is expanding.

More in that direction: How did you guys like the way I introduced Tenten? I'm thinking they could become pretty good friends. And that Tenten could be the friend Naruto needs to tell her to relax, and Tenten dragging Naruto to different eating places, spars, hotsprings etc. Also, Tenten got some interest in fuinjutsu, so they could talk about that – that could _maybe_ lead Tenten to expand her skillsets a bit. Though, she will not learn the Uzumaki seals, and will be no-where near Naruto's level, when Naruto gets really started with fuinjutsu.

And don't worry, the chapters won't keep getting shorter and shorter. I just think that the fillers and half-fillers will fill less than… none-fillers. I thought about putting a funny scene in at last, but it simply didn't fit the chapter. It will get to be there next chapter.

Next chapter will _most likely_ be the last filler before The Land of Waves Arc. I say most likely because I haven't actually written the chapter yet (duh), and I don't know if inspiration hits me, and I come up with something useful. Anyway, I hope to send Team 8 off to Nami no Kuni next chapter (chapter 14), and then actually having them on the mission in chapter 15. Now, as I've said more than a few times, it won't be the full The Land of Waves Arc. Team 8 will come as backup for Team 7 – probably half-way through the mission. And there will be some learning the area, see all the disaster, and then the battle of the bridge.

One last thing; some of you are probably going to ask where all the problems from the Border Mission went. Where is Naruto's anger at Hinata for ratting her out? Where is her disgust with herself over how she killed Tadashi? I promise you, I haven't forgotten them. I think I will deal with them in Nami no Kuni. Anyway, they will be somewhat resolved before the Chunin exams. This is not to be understood as they're just gone, but rather that she has accepted or something… Yeah.

Well, until next time :)

**Fuuton: Reppusho – Wind Release: Gale Palm:** A simple technique that when the users hands are clapped together, wind is compressed and transformed into a powerful gale. This technique, when used as an isolated attack has the power to easily knock over a human. Though the true value comes from using it together with projectile weapons like shuriken or kunai. Their speed, power, and ability to wound or even kill are all increased several times.

**Raiton: Hiraishin – Lightning Release: Lightning Rod:** After coming into physical contact with the opponent, the user raises their arm into the air, generating a bolt of electricity which travels through their body into the body of the opponent. The power of the attack depends on the users skill.

**Kirigakure no Jutsu – Hiding in Mist Technique:** This displacement technique is a specialty of the ninja from Kirigakure, where one causes a mist to spring forth by lifting up some water from either a pre-existing source or expelled from their mouth, then goes in and out of sight at will from within the pearly-white realm. The mist's thickness is controlled by the amount of chakra kneaded into it. It can't fool the Byakugan, but, due to the mist being created with the user's chakra, any Sharingan and Rinnegan-user will see the mist colored by their opponent's chakra, which will effectively hide the user from the dojutsu.

**Suiton: Gyooshuku – Water Release: Condensation:** Gathers the moister from the air around the caster, making it into a small stream, which can be used for various purposes.


	14. Her New Admirer

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Gruffard:** That was exactly my thoughts. Tenten will never replace Hinata as Naruto's best friend (though, at the moment they still have the whole ratting out thing to deal with), but she will be a very good friend. It will be good and healthy for Naruto to have someone to tell her 'Naruto, take a break and come with me out and eat'. It might even help Naruto to get closer to the village.

Kurotsuchi will be back, and Naruto will be friends with her, but I think the relationship might be something similar to what canon!Naruto has to Temari - maybe a bit less. But I can't say for sure yet - I never know exactly where my Muse is taking me. But it's not something to worry about yet - Kurotsuchi won't be seen before the shippuuden arcs. She might be heard from, but she won't make an entrance. I think.

As for Wave... you will just have to keep reading ;).

**Gaara king of the sand:** Well, it's good that you got this update :).

Yes, Jiraiya will teach Naruto - he will make an appearance after the second exam, and before the third. I have already - weakly - planned out how I'm going to introduce him.

I do plan to write SOME of the movies into the stories. I really would like to include the third Naruto movie... crescent moon something. I could take a look on Ninja Clash in The Land of Snow and see if I think it fits in. Though, I won't do any original arcs or movie arcs before after Tsunade has been retrieved.

**Hichitsuki-hime:** You're very welcome :). I'm glad you like it - I really do put a lot of thought and work into it. Though, I can't wait till I hit the Shippuuden arcs. It will become way more interesting then (I have several original arcs planned out, and existing arcs with different outcomes). The only reason I'm really writing from genin graduation is so that we will have a back-story. But I'm not going to rush to get there :).

**Potterstar202:** Thanks ;). You mean the story cover image? I changed it because I have had some problems seeing that pictue (i.e it only showed as a 'cannot load'), so I changed it just to be sure.

**Chapter 14:** Her New Admirer

* * *

"_Uzumaki Naruto," the whiskered girl responded. Naruto saw recognition flash through the Kaito's eyes. But instead of kicking her out, he simply went to the cash-register, still smiling as hard as ever._

"_Well, Naruto, do you need anything else than that outfit?" Kaito asked._

"_No, I don't think-" Naruto started saying_

"_Wait, I still haven't gotten you that fishnet undershirt," it came from Tenten, who hurried and got it. She came back with Naruto's old clothes and the new fishnet armor. "Here," she said and handed Naruto the clothes and fishnet in a bag. Then she went to her dad and handed him a note block. Kaito looked on the block, thereafter he typed a lot of things into the cash-register. _

_"Now all that stuff you got there will come to around 5,000 yen," Tenten's dad said. Naruto got a small scroll up from her pouch and unsealed her wallet – this caused the brown-eyed girl to raise her eyebrow in interest. She took up sufficient cash and handed it to Kaito._

"_Here you are, Kaito."_

_Kaito nodded and accepted the money, counting them quickly to check that they all were there. He put them in the cash-register and smiled, "Thank you, my dear. Please do come again if you need anything."_

"_Oh, believe me I will." That was true. She had been looking for a _clothing_ store all day that would not raise the prices too much, and here she had found a store with almost everything she could need. And they didn't charge her extra!_

_Naruto turned and smiled softly at her new friend. "And I guess I'll see you next week."_

"_Hai, see you then, Naruto."_

"_See you there."_

* * *

It was a beautiful day in the central Hi no Kuni. The sun was standing high in the sky, giving another hot day, with a mild breeze coming from the sandy east. It was clear that the summer months were about to take hold. It had been one week since Naruto's had been on her small shopping spree, and it was time for Team Gai to come and train with Team 8 in genjutsu and the art of dispelling genjutsu.

The time was nearing eight a.m. – the decided meeting time -, and we find the three genin of Team 8 sitting on training ground 7 by three stumps of wood. Well, two of the members, alongside a sleeping ninken, were sitting in the shade that the stumps were giving, while the last where doing vertical pushups with one arm… on top of one of the stumps.

Kiba groaned loudly, "it's too damn hot today! Why couldn't Kurenai-sensei have reserved training ground 16!?"

"The one with the lake?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah," Kiba sighed. "At least we could cool ourselves off." There was slight grunt as Naruto switched from one arm to the other. "I really don't get how you can work out like that when it's so warm."

"I don't get hot," Naruto stated as a matter of fact. Kiba scrunched his face together and looked over at Hinata. She wore a similar expression.

"What do you mean by 'I don't get hot'?" Hinata asked, both her and Kiba now looking up at the slightly sweating teen.

"Exactly as it sounds."

"You don't get hot?" Kiba asked, not believing her. "Ever?"

"Ok," Naruto sighed with a happy eye roll. "I don't easily get hot. It's not that I can't feel that it's hot and all that, I just don't feel that… exhausted feeling that people describe. Not before it's like really, really hot, anyway,"

Kiba looked disbelieving at her, stuttering incomprehensible things. Before he could get a full intelligible sentence out, a very loud voice sounded from the tree-line.

"WHAT AN EXCELLENT DISPLAY OF YOUTH! TO TRAIN IN SUCH HARSH CONDITIONS IS MUCH MORE REWARDING! KURENAI, YOU REALLY HAVE YOURSELF A FINE STUDENT THERE!"

Naruto looked up, blowing her hair out of her face in the process. Four persons were coming towards them. Two of them were Kurenai and the girl she had met in the store a week earlier. The two others she had never seen before… and boy was she glad she hadn't. It was a man approximately the age of the sensei of Team 8, while the other was around the age of all the other genin. That was the only differences between the two apart from the man being more well-built, and, well…, developed. Both had thick, black eyebrows, which could easily be mistaken for two caterpillars crawling in their foreheads, and had their hair cut in a shining bowl-style. They were also wearing green jumpsuits with orange striped leg warmers – the man also wearing standard Konoha flak jacket, unzipped. Both of the hitai-ate were tied around their waists on a red cloth, like a belt. All in all, they could easily have been mistaken as father and son.

"Hey Naruto!" it came from the kunoichi of Team Gai. She had run ahead of the two sensei's with her teammate in tow. Naruto's mind snapped out of its analytical state as she was been addressed.

"Hey Tenten," Naruto greeted back at her new friend, and flipped down from the tree stump. "You are only two. Is one of your teammates late?"

Before she could answer, however, the green-clothed got _very_ close to Naruto, before starting to address her. Kiba snickered from where he was sitting – he knew what was about to happen. Naruto didn't let _anyone_ get physical close to her, but himself, Hinata, and lately their sensei. And even they had to 'read the mood' before doing it.

"My name is Rock Lee. You're Naruto-san, right?" it came from the now presented genin. He didn't wait for an answer, and gave her the thumbs of with a bright smile. "Let's get together and go out on a date! I will protect you to the day I die!" Almost immediately after the question had been asked, Kiba's snickering had changed to a low growl, drawing looks from all but Naruto and Lee.

Naruto narrowed her eyes. "You're too close," she stated simply. Both the Hyuuga and Inuzuka heirs could hear the warning undertone – that, at least, put a damper on Kiba's small outburst.

Rock Lee blinked a few times, "huh?" The next thing he knew, he felt a shooting pain in his lower jaw, and he was flying through the air, before crashing into a tree.

"Good shot," Kiba snickered through his teeth, and rose from his position in the shade. Hinata sighed, getting up with her teammate, and ran to check on the boy who had gotten too close, too fast.

Tenten sacked together a bit, sighing and face palming. "Sorry about that. Lee is easily… excited." She straightened up and got back to her cheery self, "And no, Neji isn't coming. He already has all this genjutsu learned from his clan."

Naruto grimaced at the name. "Hyuuga Neji?" she half asked her friend. "Then it's probably good he didn't show."

"Why?" a slightly frowning Tenten asked. She knew that her second teammate, the so called 'genius', wasn't the most pleasant of people. But he was her teammate, after all, and he did have his nice moments… occasionally.

Kiba scoffed, "You wouldn't ask why if you've seen how he treats Hinata. He treats her all politely, and calls her 'sama', and all that crap that their clan does, but he looks at her like he couldn't care less if she dropped dead."

"That, and he has a ten foot pole stuffed up his ass. Just because you're labeled 'genius' doesn't mean you can treat people like dirt," Naruto finished.

"Growl, Auf, Auf," the white ninken agreed. The genin from Team Gai was surprised by the hostility towards her teammate. But Neji was especially nasty towards the heiress of his clan… not that she knew why. It shouldn't really surprise her that Hinata's teammates would take to her defense.

Yet again, before she could retort, Lee and Hinata joined their little group – Lee's face looking perfectly fine. Hinata and Tenten nodded to each other in greeting, while Lee got in front of Naruto – this time giving her space – and bowed deeply. "Gomenasai, Naruto-san, I meant not to disrespect your limits."

The two of them stayed like that for a few moments, Naruto trying to figure out if sincere. Finally she shrugged, "its fine. But _don't_ do it again." An awkward silence spread between the two genin teams.

It was this atmosphere the two jounin arrived to. Kurenai glanced at her male counterpart, who just shrugged and motioned for her to just start. She coughed in the hand to get the attention of the five genin. "So," she started, "today you will be training under me. I will take you from now to around noon a.m. After that we will go get some lunch, then bid our goodbyes, and go our separate ways, get a mission or whatever is needed. Any questions?"

Lee's hand shot in the air like a rocket. "What will Gai-sensei be doing while you are teaching us, Kurenai-sensei?"

"Well, I can imagine that he has a few errands to run," she answered the eager boy.

Gai nodded, brimming enthusiasm. "Yosh! I, also, have a most youthful task that must gain my attention! But you need not worry! Kurenai and I are more than capable to teach such beautiful examples of Youth!"

"Oh Gai-sensei!" It came from Lee.

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"Look away, quickly!" Tenten tried to warn the other genin team, but to no avail. Team 8 was trapped in the horrible genjutsu of Gai and Lee: They were hugging in the air – apparently suspended there indefinitely – in front of a sunset-lit beach.

"WHIMPER! WHIMPER!" you could hear Akamaru whimper, while trying to dig himself a hole in the earth to shield himself from the horrible genjutsu.

"Make it stop! Just make it stop!" Kiba screamed, half-heartedly trying to claw his eyes out. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop looking at the two taijutsu-addicted shinobi.

Naruto and Hinata stood there with wide eyes, Hinata's right all-seeing eye twitching in irritation. Naruto kept feeling the pull from the seal, trying to break her out of the horrible genjutsu, but nothing happened: they were still shouting each other's name, with tears flowing from their eyes.

"Great work," Tenten said sarcastically to her teammate and sensei when they finally broke off their genjutsu. "I think you broke them."

* * *

After a few minutes of recovery, the lecture could finally begin. Kurenai nodded at Gai – who nodded back before taking off – and turned her gaze towards the group in front of her. She motioned for them to sit "Well, let's get started. A genjutsu is a construct, composed of chakra, designed to deceive the senses…"

As she began with the standard academy introduction, Kurenai considered her audience. Naruto was as impassive as ever when visitors she didn't trust was near, but she got a sense that her attention was unusually focused today. Kurenai concluded that it was most likely because of the subject at hand – Naruto had taken a slight interest in genjutsu after she discovered she was immune to most. She probably felt obligated to know how to dispel them from her teammates.

Hinata hadn't said a word since the newcomers arrived. Her Byakugan could see through most genjutsu because the chakra would be directly visible to her. But she still paid close attention to the lecture. Kurenai wondered if she was aware of the small number of advanced techniques that could deceive the Hyuuga bloodline, if she expected her eyes to fail her when it counted most, or if she was just being polite.

She was most surprised with Kiba. He was mostly focused on her words, though he did fidget a little as she talked. She had expected a lot more; she had gotten used to him to interrupt her every other minute, asking a question that would be answered if he just kept listening. After all, he was as full of energy as any Inuzuka, if not more.

Then there were Gai's students. In addition to being excruciatingly polite, his students were most attentive.

Lee frowned a lot as she talked. She wondered if he was having difficulty following the material, since he probably hadn't studied genjutsu much since discovering he couldn't mold the chakra necessary to create one.

Tenten, on the other hand, was almost starry-eyed. It took a while for Kurenai to understand why she had such an awed expression on her face: From what she'd heard, the girl was one of the more formidable new kunoichi, deadly accurate with thrown weapons, and no slouch with melee weapons either. Still, she was on a team with a male jonin and two boys, one of whom was the Hyuuga prodigy. It was almost the exact opposite of her own team, consisting of three very capable kunoichi – not that Kiba wasn't capable, he just didn't need reminding of it, in this male-dominated world.

Back to Tenten, it was very likely that she'd questioned, at least once or twice, if a woman could be a successful ninja and advance to the jounin rank. Girls were a noticeable minority at the academy, and they only became more and more sparse, as you advanced to the next rank. Kurenai realized that the girl probably idolized her for her apparent success.

She shook it from her head. "Are there any questions?" she asked. When no one moved, she continued. "Now, as for identifying when you are being affected by a genjutsu, remember it is limited by two things: the amount of chakra used, and the creator's imagination. Both of those factors mean that not every element of the illusion will be perfect. There's only a finite amount of chakra that can be used to create the sensory overlay, and it can't include anything the creator didn't think of. That means if you act or focus on things the creator didn't anticipate, you are more likely to notice discrepancies. Once your mind seizes on these differences, the battle is mostly won. You aren't fooled any more, and now all you need to do is push back the curtain that has been drawn before you."

Noting the nodding heads before her, Kurenai posed a question. "One commonly known method of disrupting a genjutsu is to wound yourself – the sudden pain can shock the senses and disrupt the overlay. But this is hardly an elegant solution, as someone in a dangerous situation hardly needs to be mutilating themselves. How else do you think this can be accomplished?"

Tenten spoke up first. "If you think about it logically, if it is a chakra-based energy construct, the genjutsu should be able to be disrupted by the same form of energy."

"Correct," Kurenai agreed, "but that's rather advanced stuff – stuff you shouldn't be learning to apply before your approaching the level of tokubetsu jounin. Can any of you think of an easier way to break free from a genjutsu?"

Lee and Kiba looked puzzled, and Tenten frowned. She looked at Hinata, who looked rather hesitantly. A single jab from Naruto, though, was enough for Hinata to raise her hand. "Ano… if the genjutsu is anchored to your personal chakra, would it be easier to just disrupt the anchors, rather than the whole thing?"

"That's very close," Kurenai agreed. "You can temporarily remove what the genjutsu is anchored to. It's tricky if you don't have good chakra control, but if you can suppress your own chakra circulation for a split second, the genjutsu will instantly fall away from you. This is a lot easier than trying to shatter a chakra construct that might have been made by someone considerably more powerful than you are.

With that, she demonstrated the seals, and with a sharp intake of breath, suppressed her chakra circulation to zero. Instantly, the sunlight didn't seem to reflect as easily from her skin, her hair became still in the breeze of wind, as if dead, and the feel of the warm sun on her face was muted. She blew out the breath, released her chakra, and everything quickly went back to normal.

She had each of them practice by themselves, then with her standing next to them, maintaining a blindness genjutsu on them. Hinata, and, surprisingly, Lee picked it up immediately. After figuring out what they were doing wrong, Kiba – with some minor trouble - and Tenten soon mastered the technique.

Of course, because of the Kyuubi, Naruto couldn't, and didn't really need, this kind of training. When Lee had asked her why she didn't train with them, she had answered that it was a special seal. Tenten and Lee had immediately asked if they could get one, and had backed up when Naruto had send them dangerous eyes.

"I wouldn't wish to put this burden on my worst enemy," she had answered them. That had left all the genin, not only those of Team Gai, puzzled. They had no idea that they just asked if she could seal a bijuu inside them – a most touchy subject for the redheaded heiress.

"Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto asked, trying to get past the subject they had neared. "Is there a way to remove a genjutsu from another person?"

Kurenai looked at her redheaded student. The jounin-sensei knew that they were moving towards slightly advanced stuff again, and hesitated, not knowing if they were ready. But… she knew that the sapphire-eyed heiress really wanted to help her teammates if they'd ever got under a genjutsu.

"Well…," she finally gave in. "there is, but it's a little trickier. Tenten hit upon the basic principle earlier: You have to disrupt the chakra in the genjutsu itself. There are two ways of dispelling a genjutsu from another person; the easiest way is to use the counter-ninjutsu _Genjutsu Kai_. It builds on the same principles as dispelling the genjutsu from yourself, with a minor difference; instead of stopping your chakra circulation, you build it up, before expelling it into the victim."

"Excuse me Kurenai-sensei, but wouldn't it hurt?" Kiba asked a little worried – he still remember the shot he got ages ago. Kunai scrapes, shuriken stabs, broken bones – all that he could deal with no problem. But as soon as there was something that actually had to get into his system… and this sounded awfully like that.

"Not really," Kurenai assured him. "One, it is very difficult to gather a lot of energy that way. Also, it's still just chakra. It's attuned to the human body, and until it's aspected by a jutsu, it will just pass through your cells without damaging them."

"Kurenai-sensei, I have a question," the mini-Gai said eagerly, waving his hair into the air.

Kurenai smiled at the energized boy, "What is it Lee?"

"You said that there were two ways of dispelling a genjutsu from a victim. Is there anything dangerous about this or the other method?"

"No, there isn't," the red-eyed jounin assured him. "But _Genjutsu Kai_ doesn't always work. We, meaning genjutsu specialists, don't know for sure why that is, but one of the main factors is the power of the genjutsu, and how much chakra is used for the genjutsu." She paused, making sure all was paying attention. "The other way is slightly harder than _Genjutsu Kai_. The way you do it is to draw in your chakra and push it down toward your hara, right below your navel. You collect as much as you can, and compress it into as tight a sphere as possible. Visualize it like a ball being squeezed and compressed from every direction. Once you have it packed as tightly as possible, release it all at once."

Naruto bit her lib while thinking. "I can see how that might push away a genjutsu anchored to me, but how will that help someone else?" she asked curiously.

"Another very good question," Kurenai acknowledged with a nod. "When the chakra leaves your body, it will form a pulse, almost like a shockwave, that will extend a small distance, based upon how much chakra is used. That pulse can also disrupt any genjutsu it encounters. However, it's difficult to generate enough power to make the pulse extend any great distance. Thus, you may have to be very close to the person you are trying to free," she concluded.

With that, Kurenai had them practice the harder method. Unsurprisingly, Lee could not perform this method at all – he simply couldn't focus that much chakra – As far as Kurenai heard, he had trained for weeks just to be able to summon the chakra it takes to walk on trees and water. Tenten could do it, but the pulse only extended a few inches from her skin. Hinata concentrated for several moments, and then released a chakra pulse that extended over two feet from her body, after which she fell to her knees, gasping for breath. Kiba seemed to be able to focus his chakra to his hara, but wasn't able to compress it, so he actually leaked chakra out, making the pulse ineffective.

Naruto kept half-grunting in concentration. She knew she had to concentrate _some_ chakra, but she also knew that it couldn't be too much – and that her definition of 'too much chakra' was very different than… anyone in Konoha. She started gathering chakra from her body, focusing it just above the seal.

Now, Naruto tried not to think too much about the seal that had damned her. Of course, it was hard to ignore the glares, insults, and violence that was thrown towards her, but she tried not to think too much about it. And she almost forgot it when she was with her new team: they treated her like any other person. So it's understandable that she was forgetting it when she was concentrating so hard: it was first when she was about to release the ball of concentrated chakra that she felt the pulse from the seal. She tried to absorb as much of the chakra back into her system as she could, but she had already triggered the release.

Kurenai, who had been helping Kiba getting the finishing touch on the pulse, spun around when she felt the familiar chakra of the Uzumaki heiress spike. Naruto was standing with a desperate look on her face, with chakra visible in a haze around – Kurenai, and she was sure Hinata could also see it, noticed the red-ish chakra, with purple edges, around the girls Hara. Kurenai opened her mouth to help the whiskered girl stop, when she finally released the chakra pulse.

The present jounin-sensei instinctively threw up her hands as the energy washed over her. Her skin tingled and all the hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention, but there were no other effects than that. The air was filled with sound as the trees around them emptied of birds. Turning and looking across the clearing, Kurenai was relieved to see the pulse fade away around ten meters from the clearing.

She turned back around and saw everyone staring at Naruto. Tenten's and Lee's mouth was hanging open, while Kiba was shouting about how awesome she was. Hinata's Byakugan were activated, and the expression on her face bordered on awe – alongside thoughtfulness and suspicion. That was when Kurenai knew that Naruto wouldn't be able to keep her secret from her friend for much longer. Finally her sigh settled on the girl who had summoned the chakra pulse: she looked truly exhausted – much more so than Kurenai had seen her for a long time. But the redhead gave her a small, though still very exhausted, that assured the Yuhi jounin that she was ok.

Kurenai sighed, and smiled while shaking her head lightly. "I guess we still have to work a bit on your chakra control – at least your chakra expression anyway. We should try to finish this lesson before the ANBU get here to find out what happened."

* * *

After lunch with Team Gai, Team 8 had gone and gotten a D-rank mission. Since the border mission, they hadn't really gone on another – apparent – C-rank mission, much to the annoyance of Kiba. Anyway, it had been an easy D-rank, if not a bit boring. There had been some idiots dumbing trash in one of the small rivers in the forest, and they had been hired to clean up the mess. They hadn't been able to use Naruto's Kage Bunshin due to her being too exhausted mentally. It had taken them about two and a half hours – the clock had reached three p.m. And that brings us up to the present, with Team 8 and their sensei standing in front of the Hokage, reporting their success.

"Good work Team 8," it came from the old Hokage. "The police department is already investigating who trashed the river… but at least we won't have to worry about the river anymore."

"Hai," Kurenai answered. "If you don't mind, Hokage-sama, I would request that we'd be put off duty for today. We had a pretty hard training session this morning."

"Of course, of course," Hiruzen nodded. "I just need you, Naruto, for one more moment. You have finished the first Uzumaki Fuinjutsu book, haven't you?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen smiled at the girl. "Well, then I think it'd only be fair for you to get the second book, then." He opened his drawer and took out the book right away. It was looking to be just as old as the first one, but that didn't matter to Naruto – here was another part of her heritage. She walked over to her grandfather-figure, and accepted the book. Behind her Kiba was giving her the thumbs up, making her blush and smile.

All of the good atmosphere was ruined when a chunin burst in through the office-door. From what Naruto could see, he looked like he was working in the bird tower.

"Hokage-sama!" he managed to say between gasps of breath. "It's a message from Kakashi-san!"

Hiruzen frowned, "what does it say." The chunin hesitated, looking over the other people in the room. Hiruzen waved his hand dismissing, "never min them; what is the message?"

"Kakashi-san requests backup. There have been… complications in Nami no Kuni."

Hiruzen brought out a pen and started writing. "What kind of complications?"

"It doesn't say, It just says that he request backup 'due to increased difficulty'," the chunin answered.

Hiruzen frowned, "is there any timeframe involved?"

"Hai," the chunin nodded. "Kakashi-san says that he will need the backup within a week. That is five and a half days now."

The old Hokage finished writing, "Ok. You are dismissed." He turned his attention towards Team 8, "Kurenai, you said your team was exhausted. How long do you need to get recharged?"

Kurenai was taken aback by the question: they hadn't been on a C-rank since the border mission, after all. She shook the thoughts out her head. "Hokage-sama, I believe that if some of other genin need backup, we can find the energy we need to get going. I'd say we need about an hour to get home and pack."

Hiruzen doubted her for a second, but then took a look at Naruto, Hinata, and Kiba. They all looked they had eaten a bunch of soldier pills. "Very well," he said and rolled up the paper he had just written, before handing it to Kurenai. "Here ate the specifics of the mission. When you are in Nami no Kuni you are to meet up with Kakashi and Team 7. Dismissed!"

With that the four shinobi walked out the door. Kurenai looked over her shoulder to make sure they all were there. She nodded to them, "Get home and get packing. We'll meet at the west gate in an hour. We will be running most of the way, so make sure to pack some soldier pills."

"Hai," they said in unison and ran off in different direction.

**Authors Note:** And they're off to Nami no Kuni! This was the last of the fillers for this time. Now we will have a few chapters in the Nami no Kuni arc – and don't ask me how many. Though, I think it will be a bit easier to write – the plot-line is already written. Of course I will put my own spin on things, but for now I don't have to make almost everything up.

Just so I don't get accused of plagiarism, the training scene with Team Gai is derived from a scene from 'Team 8'. I have a similar scene in Shoton of Konoha. But, if I do say so myself, I think I have done good to put my own spin on things and all.

What do you think of Kiba's and Naruto's reaction towards Neji? I, personally, think that it's how it should be. But I really want to hear your thoughts on the subject.

I also got a feeling that the ending was a bit fast? Tell me what you think.

Well, that is really all I got to say this time.

Until next time :)

**Genjutsu Kai – Illusion Techniques Release:** The ninja needs to stop the flow of chakra in their body, and then apply an even stronger power to disrupt the flow of the caster's chakra; this is called Genjutsu Dissipation (幻術解, Genjutsu Kai).


	15. Her Torment

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Gruffard:** It's good to hear that you don't think it's plagiarism. But as I've already been accused of it once, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

I actually was a little 'should I have them act like this', but I had to remember how close those three are. They have been together for, what, three years? Something like that creates bond, and it's rational that you would protect those people you share such a bond with. I just want to make sure I don't make any of characters worse than they are :).

Yeah, I thought it would be fun to have Lee fall in love with Naruto rather than Sakura :). Also to give Kiba a little 'competition', and that will, hopefully, make their crush more obvious, and push them more forward.

The Hinata/Naruto confrontation will happen in the Wave Arc. I have just never written something like that, so I'm a bit nervous about it. Well, we'll see how it goes.

**Gaara king of the sand:** I could've maybe expanded the last scene a bit more, make them talk about the new fuinjutsu book Naruto got, or something like that. But not matter what, I'm happy at the place the chapter ended.

About Haku and Zabuza... You will just have to keep reading. Maybe I will leave one alive, maybe I'll leave both alive, or maybe they'll both die on the bridge.

**Harlequin320:** I agree, it's one of the most important, if not THE most important arc in the series. It pretty much defines Naruto as a shinobi. But, that has already happened in my story - more or less. TRToK!Naruto already knows that she fights to protect her friends, the few people in the village.

I will use the arc to hopefully create some bonds between Team 8 and Team 7 - and furthermore develop ecspecially Hinata and Naruto's relationship, which took a hard hit at the Borderlands, and maybe also Kiba and Naruto.

And, yeah, Haku will make an appearance. If he/she will keep doing that, or if he/she will die on the bridge, is yet to be seen.

I'll try to update as soon as possible.

**Roboguy45:** No, she will not learn the Chakra Chain Jutsu her mother had. And, as far as I've understood, Naruto wouldn't be able to 'learn' her mother's Special Chakra as it's something you're born with. Much like you could be born with a high affinity for, let's say, Suiton?

**Dracoessa:** Naruto and Kiba _will_ keep up their attitude towards Neji up until the chunin exams – and probably to a bit after, since they want to make sure he has changed. Though, it may not be obvious, as I don't think I will have Neji make an appearance before the actual chunin exams.

**Jrwest:** I LOVE this kind of review. Long and a lot of serious questions :). Thank you!

I'm glad you like the personality choices. I must admit, I used some time on thinking of how she should start, how she should develop, and how I would like for her to end up. I even had the story up first where she had no friends, and she was really cold, but decided against it.

I like Kiba too - and I try really hard not to write him too out of character. He still has his perverted side and all that, but being friends with two girls - and one who can hit really hard when you're drooling over someone - must have some effect. So I've tried to take a middle road, where I show Kiba's pervert personality a few times, but not so much that you would label him as... a macho perverted idiot xd. And you are right; he isn't the smartest guy. But I don't think in any way he is stupid - he just has some other kind of smarts than TRToK!Naruto.

I can see what you mean by behind in power. And when I read the story, I will have to agree with you. He has a long way to go. Or not long, but he has a way to go. And that is as much to blame on me, not being able to figure out how to make him look stronger right now. But let's just say it's because there is some variation of powers in every team, ok?

As for surprise mentors... I really hadn't thought about it, but it's a good idea. Maybe for the last part of the chunin exams (if they make it through the first two exams), while Naruto is training with the perverted toad? I will try to make it fit into the story.

For the last question: Things will move forward in Wave, but I don't want it to move too fast. And as for why he didn't feel pressure to moving things forward, when he almost died? I don't think that is what Kiba would do. Of course, I could pull the 'now I'm doing and I'm going to tell you I love you'. But that is way to cliché for me. I will try to move it slowly forward - maybe with Hinata giving a few pushes in the right direction? - and have them fall in love. But, as I've said before, this is my first romance story (at least partially), so this is now territory for me. But I will try to do my best.

**Chapter 15:** Her Torment

* * *

_All of the good atmosphere was ruined when a chunin burst in through the office-door. From what Naruto could see, he looked like he was working in the bird tower._

"_Hokage-sama!" he managed to say between gasps of breath. "It's a message from Kakashi-san!"_

_Hiruzen frowned, "what does it say." The chunin hesitated, looking over the other people in the room. Hiruzen waved his hand dismissing, "never min them; what is the message?"_

"_Kakashi-san requests backup. There have been… complications in Nami no Kuni."_

_Hiruzen brought out a pen and started writing. "What kind of complications?"_

"_It doesn't say, It just says that he request backup 'due to increased difficulty'," the chunin answered._

_Hiruzen frowned, "is there any timeframe involved?"_

"_Hai," the chunin nodded. "Kakashi-san says that he will need the backup within a week. That is five and a half days now."_

_The old Hokage finished writing, "Ok. You are dismissed." He turned his attention towards Team 8, "Kurenai, you said your team was exhausted. How long do you need to get recharged?"_

_Kurenai was taken aback by the question: they hadn't been on a C-rank since the border mission, after all. She shook the thoughts out her head. "Hokage-sama, I believe that if some of other genin need backup, we can find the energy we need to get going. I'd say we need about an hour to get home and pack."_

_Hiruzen doubted her for a second, but then took a look at Naruto, Hinata, and Kiba. They all looked they had eaten a bunch of soldier pills. "Very well," he said and rolled up the paper he had just written, before handing it to Kurenai. "Here ate the specifics of the mission. When you are in Nami no Kuni you are to meet up with Kakashi and Team 7. Dismissed!"_

_With that the four shinobi walked out the door. Kurenai looked over her shoulder to make sure they all were there. She nodded to them, "Get home and get packing. We'll meet at the west gate in an hour. We will be running most of the way, so make sure to pack some soldier pills."_

"_Hai," they said in unison and ran off in different direction._

* * *

Kiba stretched his arm above him with a big yawn. "Are we soon there? I feel like I could drop dead at any moment…" Kurenai glanced at the boy: he truly looked exhausted. Her eyed roamed over the frames of the two other genins of her team; they weren't looking much better. It wasn't as if she could blame them: they had gone on none-stop since Konoha… and they had left Konoha after a day of hard work. They had been able to eat ration bars while running, but sleep… they hadn't slept in almost fifty-two hours. Even she, a tokubetsu jounin, could feel strain on her body.

"Hai, Tazuna-san's house should be a few kilometers down this road," the jounin-sensei of Team 8 answered, pointing down the misty road.

Hinata let out a yawn. "It will be good to get inside again. I really can't understand how the people here can stand the humidity. It's so dank here that I can't feel at ease."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Naruto agreed while running a hand through her clammy hair. Kiba caught sight of it and was mesmerized by it, not that Naruto noticed. Hinata couldn't help but smile; she really did hope that the two of them would get together in the future. Her thoughts returned to the present when Naruto continued to talk to her. "I really wish that I had as short hair as you right now, Hinata."

"Why?" Kiba asked, almost looked outraged by the statement. If he hadn't been so exhausted he had probably shouted it at her.

"Because," the redhead answered, "right now I feel like I have a wet blanket curled around me that I can't take off. While I can agree that this place has its charm, I could never live here. I belong under trees of Hi no Kuni." The two other genin hummed in agreement. Naruto turned to smile at Kiba, "I really envy Akamaru right now. Just to be able to sleep in that warm, brown hair," she laughed tiredly.

"Don't worry," Kurenai said, getting the attention off of the _very_ blushing Inuzuka hair. "You'll be able to sleep for a few hours when we arrive. We just need to get up to date with Kakashi and Team 7 first."

As Kurenai had told them, a small house soon appeared at the side of the road. It was a humble home, two floors tall, and built in a traditional Japanese style. It was evident that the family living there was either negligent, or didn't have money, since the house wasn't in the best of conditions. The garden was none-existent, and you could see scraps of paint having been eroded off by the endless mist of the country. The position, however, was rather nice: it was lying just at the edge of the ocean, half the house elevated above the ocean by wooden pillars.

Team 8 continued to the door and knocked just loud enough for the people inside to hear it. Soft footsteps tapped over the floor and the door slid open, revealing a beautiful woman in the late twenties – so beautiful that Naruto, yet again, had to… remind the male member of Team 8 of who he was in presence of. A quick jab to the ribs, and Kiba lay crouched together, coughing violently.

The woman in the doorway blinked at the four people outside the door – especially the brown-haired boy on the ground. She looked at the sole adult member of the group, "Can I help you?"

"Hai," Kurenai answered the slightly older woman. "We are the shinobi from Konohagakure no Sato that Kakashi requested as backup. I'm Yuhi Kurenai and these are my students; Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata, and Inuzuka Kiba," the jounin said motioning to her tree students as she mentioned their name. Kiba tabbed on his hitai-ate as to prove his sensei's statement that they _were_ from Konoha.

"Oh, welcome then," the woman smiled at them and gave them a small bow. "I'm Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter. Please do enter," she said and stepped aside, allowing them to walk through the doorway.

They hadn't walked more than a few steps into the space that was the living room and hallway, before an elderly looking man walked into greet the newcomers. Since the newly arrived shinobi from Konoha hadn't gotten any other information, Naruto assumed that the man was Tazuna the bridge-builder. Tazuna was a grey-haired man with a large beard and dark eyes. He also wore a couple of glasses resting low on his nose. Currently he was wearing a sleeveless V-neck shirt with an obi, pants and a pair of sandals.

Naruto was quite pleased that the man was coming to greet them. It wasn't something _she_ had experienced in Konoha. Well, beside Chiyoko-basan anyway. The old woman who had made it a regular habit of asking for Team 8 when she needed some help around her bakery.

Tazuna took _one_ look at the four people in his living room before opening his mouth. "What the hell? The backup is another group of brats? A brow-haired midget with a mutt, a pale-eyed shy girl, and a redheaded fox who looks like she has a cold pole stuck up a certain place."

Aaand the moment was gone. She heard Akamaru and Kiba growl, and saw Hinata _glare_ at the client. And it wasn't as she was doing much better. But before any of them could take action, Kurenai spoke up with an icy voice.

"I would think that you would be more grateful, Tazuna-_san_," she said looking him sternly in the eyes. Her genin could see the effect their sensei could have on people when she wanted: Tazuna was shaking lightly, and shivers were running down the spine of the man. "According to the report Kakashi send Konoha, it was a bunch of these so-called 'brats' who saved your sorry ass from The Demon Brothers of Kiri." She paused, making Tazuna think for just a moment she was done with him. Too bad for him she continued, replacing the icy voice with one that could only be described as furious. "You should be grateful that Konoha is sending backup, and not just recall our shinobi! You _lied_ when you gave a description about the mission you requested, endangering not only your own life, but endangering inexperienced shinobi who haven't been to battle before!"

"Meh, Kurenai, don't be so hard on the old man."

Naruto and her team spun around towards the voice. Leaning up a doorframe was a weakly looking Kakashi. Well, it wasn't as if he was weak: he could most certainly still take down any genin and chunin. But he was weaker than he used to be, so much that he was forced to use a crutch. Even though Naruto had heard of the jounin-sensei of Team 7, she hadn't seen him before. According to Shino, he had shown up three hours late for the introduction day at the academy. The redheaded genin was surprised of how much laziness the jounin was able to project into the room. His condition, however, didn't prevent him from reading a very colorful book – much to Kurenai's chagrin. Naruto also recognized the book: it was the one her grandfather-figure was reading, and tried to hide away as fast as possible when she entered. Behind the silver-haired jounin Shino, Sakura, and Sasuke – already glaring at the only genin that graduated with better scores than him – was standing, watching the commotion that had entered the quiet house.

"No, you should be harder on 'the old man'." Kurenai took off her backpack and put it on the floor, her genin mirroring her, clearly happy to not having to carry the load anymore. "If it had been me, I would've gone back to Konoha right away." Kakashi response to that was to wave lazily at her. She sighed and covered her face with her right palm. "Anyway, can you help them set up here," she asked the male jounin, referring to her students. "We've come straight from Konoha, after a long day of hard work, and they really need some rack time."

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow. "Why didn't you take your time to get here? I think I wrote in the letter that there would still be a few days before Zabuza could fight."

"Who's Zabuza?" Kurenai turned to look at the Hyuuga heiress, who soft-spoken question had interrupted her conversation with Kakashi.

"Momochi Zabuza is a missing-nin from Kirigakure no Sato. Him, and another shinobi with mostly unknown skills, are the ones we're up against," Kakashi answered.

The Inuzuka genin looked like he wanted to ask another question, but Kurenai stopped him. "We have enough time to get up-to-date with the details. Right now you three need to get some sleep before you collapse where you stand." Kiba was too tired to put up the usual resistance, and simply nodded at the order.

"There's a free room upstairs," Tazuna told them. Naruto lead the way for her friends, tiredly walking towards the door that Kakashi was standing in.

"Haruno, Uchiha," she greeted formally. Then she gave the bug-boy a small smile, "It's good to see you again, Shino-san."

"Hey, how come Sasuke-kun and I are addressed by our last name, and then you address _Shino_ by his first name!?" Sakura asked a little mad that she was put on a lower level than her creepy teammate.

Kiba scoffed, "Maybe because Shino is Naruto's friend, and you two are not?"

The pinkettes eyebrow twitched. "And since when have you become friends?" she asked the Uzumaki and Aburame clan heirs.

Naruto sighed, "I'm really too tired for this right now, Haruno. But if you must know, I have been talking to Shino-san from time to time, since he visited me at the hospital a few weeks ago, alongside Shikamaru-san and Choji-san."

"You two were the only ones beside Ino who didn't come," Kiba shot accusingly at them.

Akamaru, who had awoken when Kurenai had ranted at the client, peeked out from under his partner's hoodie. "Auf, auf!"

"Hn," was Sasuke's only answer to the dog-boy.

"Whatever," Sakura agreed with the lover of her life.

Not wanting to drag this out any longer, mostly because she really had no patience left when she was this exhausted – especially with one of the 'fangirls' that made kunoichi life so hard -, just walked away and up to the room her and her team were going to stay in.

* * *

A few hours later, after the genin of Team 8 had gotten a well-deserved rest, the two jounin shinobi had called a meeting in what had become 'Kakashi's room'. The jounin-sensei were sitting in front of their students, still organizing some papers, Team 7 sitting in front of Kakashi, and Team 8 sitting in front of Kurenai. Even Tazuna and Tsunami had been allowed to be present, since this also concerned them.

Sakura looked at the redhead she had had a small disagreement with earlier. Naruto tried to ignore the annoying girl, but she just wouldn't let up. Finally Naruto annoyed turned her attention towards Sakura.

"What is the problem, Haruno?"

Sakura looked at the kunoichi of their year for a few seconds before answering. "Where have you been sleeping?"

Naruto let out a half laugh while frowning. "I don't really see how that concerns you, but I have slept in the room next to the room Sasuke and Shino are residing in."

"What about Kiba?" the kunoichi of Team 7 asked.

"He has been sleeping in the same room as me. And so has Hinata," the sapphire-eyed girl answered, not trying to hide how annoyed she was with the questions. Now all the genin was listening to the small argument.

"But," Sakura retorted looking outraged, "he's a _boy_!"

"And he is a shinobi. And I'm a kunoichi. So are you – start to act like it."

"Aren't you worried he will, like, peek at you when you're asleep?" Sakura could truly not understand how Naruto could be so laidback about sleeping in the same room as a boy.

"Not really," the Uzumaki heiress said, scratching her ear. "Kiba always falls asleep really fast, and I always wake up before either he or Hinata is up." Then Naruto's face turned towards Kiba. "Besides, he knows that if he ever, _ever_ does that, I will crush his family jewels so hard that he would wish he was born a girl."

Kiba's face had turned from a grin towards the fangirl, to fully red, his hands unconsciously moving towards his special area to protect it.

"Isn't that right Kiba?" Naruto asked her male teammate in a sugar-sweet voice. Kiba nodded furiously, not daring to offend his crush. He knew how hard she could hit when she was joking around with him, so he did _not_ want to feel her wrath when she was angry. Naruto turned her attention back to the pink-haired shinobi, "See, there's no problem."

Sakura was about to retort, but Shino beat her to it. "Sakura-san, you are the only one in this room that has a problem with sleeping in the same room as the opposite gender. Why you ask? Because everyone else here are able to not mix any romantic feeling they may or may not have with the work we're doing."

That shut the now embarrassed girl up. Naruto nodded a thank-you to the bug-user, before they all turned their attention to the teacher who were ready to brief them.

"I know that you guys already know this," Kakashi started, referring to his own students, "but Team 8 also needs the details." He then mainly turned his focus towards the three genin that wasn't his own subjects. "While escorting Tazuna from Konohagakure no Sato to Nami no Kuni we were met with resistance by a few. First was The Demon Brothers of Kiri, but Shino and Sasuke took them out." He said the last part with just a hint of pride in his voice, making Kurenai smile. She had never thought he would enjoy actually teaching. The cyclops-jounin didn't notice – or didn't react – on Kurenai's smile, and continued.

"It was at that point that I suspected that Tazuna hadn't told us the whole story, and lied when he hired us. He admitted to this on our trip under the mist."

Eyes were drawn to the kunoichi jounin as she growled slightly, Tazuna quickly taking a few steps back.

"When we finally reached land, it wasn't long before we were attacked by another shinobi. This time it was Momochi Zabuza, also known as Demon of Kirigakure, who was the assailant. A fight broke out, and it wasn't for some good teamwork from Shino, Sasuke, and Sakura, neither my team, nor Tazuna, would probably be alive."

"I don't see the problem then," Kiba happily declared. "You guys took care of the bad guy, right?"

"He was getting to that, Kiba," Kurenai simply stated.

Kakashi nodded at his college. "No, we didn't get to 'take care of the bad guy'," he said using air quotes, making Hinata giggle, and Naruto push the sulking boy playfully. "Just as I was about to finish him, an apparent Hunter-nin from Kiri appeared and killed him. Or so we thought."

It didn't take the genin of Team 8 long to figure out what had happened, with how the masked jounin was telling the story. The Hunter-nin had been an accomplice, and had come to save Zabuza.

"Ano…" The Hyuuga heiress spoke up. "How did he manage to fool you? It sounds like you were one second away from killing him, and he was already on the verge of death."

"He used senbon needles," Shino answered in his monotone voice. "Why, you ask? Senbon needles aren't very effective to kill with. In fact you need to be very precise when you want to make a kill with them. You have to hit the right nerves to kill, but there's also nerves that put you into a stasis which makes you appear dead. You're literally put in a near-death state until someone pulls the needles out. It is commonly used by Hunter-nin when they are hunting a dangerous opponent you want to capture, but not kill."

"Auf, auf!" the white dog barked.

"I know…" Kiba answered and looked up at his sensei. "What and who are the hunter-nin?"

"Well, the job of Hunter-nin change slightly from village to village," the dark-haired woman began explaining. "But basically the Hunter-nin are a special department from the hidden village's ANBU. They are also known as the fire extinguishing unit, and their job is to erase any evidence, that a shinobi was alive. A shinobi's body will give away the secret of their jutsu, if said shinobi had a special chakra type, and any specific medicine that was used on the body, along with various other things…" she paused look around on the audience, pausing on the few individuals this would concern. "For example, if Kakashi or Sasuke died, the secrets of their Sharingan would be examined… Or if Hinata died, her Byakugan would be studied, and possibly copied." None of the younger people seemed to like the idea of that.

"In other words," Kakashi continued where Kurenai had stopped, "Hunter-nin will kill missing-nin who have abandoned their village, and dispose of the shinobi's body, to keep the village's secrets in the village." He looked over the people in the room. They were all nodding understandingly.

"So my guess is that that's how you figured out you had been fooled," Naruto half asked, half stated. "Since he needed to save Zabuza, he didn't just burn the body to crisps or something, but took the body with him?"

"Hai," Kakashi nodded. "Though, I didn't really think about that fact before I woke up here after I had overused my Sharingan. And I send a the report to Hokage-sama right after that."

All throughout the conversation the two civilians grew more and more wide-eyed. Finally, the daughter of the bridge-builder spoke up.

"Excuse me Kakashi-san, but maybe you're over thinking this a bit?" Tsunami said with a doubting look on her face

"You're quite right. I am over thinking this. But that's a shinobi's job; to look underneath the underneath. The shinobi world is filled with lies and deceptions, so you need to think of every possible result, and expect the worst. It keeps you alive. It's one of things the academy students learn first; it's the iron rule of the shinobi."

"Anyway," the Sharingan-wielding jounin said, "Since Zabuza was put in that near-death state he won't be able to move for about a week after that. And that was the day before yesterday, so we have five days, if we also count today, until we expect the two to return."

"Have you done anything to prepare for them to come back?" Kurenai asked Kakashi.

"We just started tree-climbing…" Kakashi slowed down his sentence when he was the disapproving look his female counterpart was giving him. "Hey, don't give me that look."

"Haven't you been teaching them anything?" she scolded him. "It's months since they graduated from the academy. Tree-climbing is some of the first thing that you should teach them."

He shrugged at her, making her give a yet more intimidating look. "Meh, I've had my hands full. You were lucky enough to get a team that could work well together. I've used most of my time with them to improve their teamwork. And from what I've seen on this mission it's improved by bounds and leaps."

Kurenai sighed at the slightly younger man's antics. "I guess we'll join you tomorrow then – we could give you some hints, I guess. But first tomorrow." She turned towards her students, her eyes resting a bit longer on Kiba, "and I don't want to see any of you do _any_ kind of training until then. Not even fuinjutsu, Naruto."

The fuinjutsu part peaked Kakashi's curiosity. He had a few skills he had learned from his sensei. Maybe he could help the girl a bit? But that would have to wait. First rest, then train.

"Hai," the unison answer came from Team 8. It wasn't as if Kurenai had to do much to convince them: they were pretty exhausted even after their nab, both physically and mentally.

"Ano, Kurenai-sensei," it came from Sakura. Both Kakashi and Kurenai blinked a few times: they had half forgotten that they weren't alone in the room. "How far is Team 8 training wise."

Kurenai raised her eyebrow, looking at the girl. Sakura squirmed a bit under the older woman's watch, and finally broke the eye contact. Just as the emerald-eyed girl was about to apologize she asked, Kurenai answered.

"Team 8 is currently trying to master water-walking. We're in the latter part of the process: trying to stay on the water for extended periods of time, while still being able to fight."

Almost right after she had answered, Sakura and Sasuke turned to glare at their sensei. She could swear that she even saw Shino's eyebrow twitch.

"Why did you have to tell them that, Kurenai," Kakashi asked with a sweat-drop on his forehead.

"Just to make your life a little harder, Kakashi. Just to make your life a little harder…"

* * *

Naruto sat up in her bed abruptly, a silent scream etched upon her face, and showered in cold sweat. It took her a few seconds to notice where she was, and that she was not in danger – though that didn't help on her body's trembling. She laid a hand on her breast, feeling her heart galloping away, trying to calm herself.

"Damn it," she said almost desperately. "This has got to stop…"

She looked to see if she had awoken either of her teammates or the small puppy. None of them seemed awake: Good. She really didn't want to tell anyone about this… not even Hinata.

The whiskered girl looked over at her best friend sleeping. Ever since Hinata had told Kurenai and Kiba about the Shirogane Clan, Naruto had had problems talking freely with the girl. And she hadn't really found a good time to talk to the milky-skinned girl about it… It was even more urgent now when Naruto knew the girl suspected something about the Kyuubi.

A shiver ran down her spine in the chilly night air, and her thoughts returned to why she had woken up so suddenly. She had been plagued by the same nightmare ever since the border mission. It hadn't been _every_ night she had had it, but close enough. She had been lucky she had been so tried as she was earlier that day: else she would have most certainly had the nightmare there to.

She took another settling breath, still feeling her heart galloping away. She looked out the window, out into the dark outside. The air was actually pretty clear... Before the sun had evaporated much of the water, and covered the land with the thick mists. She looked from the window to the traveling clock Kiba had set up. It was only 4.30 a.m. There was still almost two and a half hours till they were expected to get up. She hated to admit it, but she actually looked forward to the training session with Team 7. And looked forward of showing of how much better her team had gotten than theirs. Especially that arrogant Uchiha.

But those thoughts were miles away from her right now. She shook her head and got out of bed: she needed to be somewhere else than this. She got up from the bed, jumped out the window, and up to the roof. What she didn't notice was two hazel eyes following her movement.

She found a good spot on the roof and sat down. It was facing the ocean, now displaying a big reflection of the moon. She brought her knees up to her chest, resting her forehead on her knees, and closed her eyes. Now, Naruto wasn't a girl who was afraid of much – she wasn't arrogant, she had just been through much more than a girl her age should. But nightmares had a way of bringing up the exact thing that you fear the most…She could feel a shudder as she remembered the nightmare.

It had started as it always did; on the border mission. Or more precisely, the fight with Tadashi. She was looking down at him, _laughing_ at him, while feeling the water creep along her arm, before flushing down the Shirogane clan members throat, filling his stomach and lungs. She felt _good_ when she heard the lungs burst, felt good when she saw the blood spluttering out of his mouth and unto her hands. And then her _beloved_ sensei had to stop all the fun… Of course, as soon as that genjutsu had been cast on her, she felt horrible and disgusted with what she had done.

Then the nightmare kind of jumped – she was back in Konoha, after having been to the hospital. And people were glaring at her… A small mob was forming because she was eating at a café, ignoring the complaints for costumers. Then they threw a rock at her, and water quickly condensed in the air, blocking the path of the rock. She turned to look at the mob, now her eyes crimson red. And she had charged. Screams had been heard all over the village.

When the Hokage and his ANBU arrived, seeing the whole street flood with blood. And they had seen Naruto grinning at the corpses, kicking one of the bodies playfully, while finishing eating. A minute later in the Hokage's office, when all she realized what she had done, she felt disgusted again.

And it continued like that. She kept killing – all strangers –, and then reverted back to feel disgusted. People started avoiding her – and with good reason. Then she had started killing people she knew. First Sakura and Ino, then Sasuke, Shino, Shikamaru and Choji. Slowly but surely, she had killed her whole graduation class. Then all of the sensei and academy teachers. And as the Hokage had died with his ANBU, his last words had been, 'they were right… you really are a monster'.

She had killed all of Konoha. And then her mother came. She had looked so disappointed. And Naruto had killed her too. But through it all she had blamed It on the Kyuubi. Of course it was its influence that made her do all these things.

Then the Kyuubi itself had appeared on the horizon, going on rampage. With wide eyes she had looked to her stomach, channeling chakra through it to make it appear. But nothing happened. No seal. No nothing. She had begun to channel more and more chakra through where the seal should be. And she kept doing that desperate act until she felt dizzy from the exhaustion. She had collapsed, falling beside two corpses. The corpses of Kiba and Hinata. Both faces had fear and terror edged into the faces, no-one being there to lay them to rest. And that's when she had woken up… Almost every night…

"Are you ok?"

Her eyes snapped open as she flipped over and grabbed for a katana that wasn't there. She saw a Kiba who was holding his arms up in defense.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," he apologized.

"What are you doing up?" she asked him, scanning the roof. "Hinata isn't here somewhere, is she?"

Kiba shook his head, "No she isn't. And you kind of woke me up."

The Uzumaki heiress turned around and sat down again, going back to the same position she had been in a minute before. "Sorry 'bout that," she mumbled into her knees.

That act made Kiba frown: this wasn't the Naruto he knew and lo- this wasn't the Naruto he knew. He got over beside her, "can I sit here?" She nodded without saying anything, just staring at the ripples that ran over the reflected moon. He sat down beside her, close enough to feel the heat radiate off of her skin. As soon as some of the less clean thoughts came into his mind, he pushed them out. This wasn't time for things like that.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" he asked her with concern clearly present in his voice. The answer didn't come right away. As Kiba started to think that his crush might not answer, he heard her soft spoken voice.

"I'm having nightmares…"

He scooted a bit closer to her to be able to hear her better. "What about?"

She tightened her grip on her legs. "Killing… Me killing others…" Kiba frowned again. He really didn't have much experience with stuff like this. But he did have an idea of what could have caused it.

"Does it have something to do with what happened at the border to Tsuchi no Kuni?" No answer. It did have something to do with what happened at Tsuchi no Kuni. He waited another few minutes, but she didn't speak. He began to rise from his seat beside her. "Well, I'll go ba-"

"No." He looked down at her and felt her grip her hand. "Can you stay? _Please_." He looked at her for a few seconds. She looked so vulnerable right then at there.

"Yeah, I can stay," he said and sat down beside. He couldn't help but blush deeply when she wrapped her hands around his arm and pulled her closer.

"I'm… I'm just not ready to talk about it," her muffled voice sounded from his night blouse. Kiba could understand that. Or really, he couldn't: he couldn't imagine what could be so hard to talk about. Then the memory of Hinata telling him what had happened after he had passed flashed before his eyes. He decided right then and there, that no matter what it was that Naruto kept a secret, no matter what it was that made her so… vulnerable, he wouldn't run away. He would stay by her side. He would help her.

* * *

**Authors Note:** And done! Phew, that was close to my none-existent deadline. But I did say that I would try to at least upload once every week :).

I really like this chapter. Of course, half of it was just a simple introduction to the arc that started, but the other half… yeah; I'm really pleased with it. I 'hope' that this will help Kiba and Naruto move along. And don't worry, Hinata and Naruto's confrontation WILL come in this arc. Maybe next chapter, or the chapter after that, but it WILL come before the bridge.

And then I want you guys opinion on how I well I wrote Shino. That boy has always been a bit of a mystery to me, so please be honest with what you think I did well, and what I could've done better.

Next chapter we will have a small fight scene between Team 7 and Team 8. I want it to turn out so I can really show how well Team 8 works together. The Battle won't be coming next chapter, but I plan on the battle taking place in at least three chapters from now.

Please do review, even if it's just for saying 'Good Job', or if I didn't do a good job, tell me what I could've done better! :)

Well, that was really all I had to say for now. Until Next time :)


	16. Her Stupid Teammate

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Engineer4Ever:** Their stats will be showed in the author's note at the button of the chapter.

**Gruffard:** Glad you liked the chapter! I'm especially pleased with the small romance scene. I had a really good feeling about it, so I'm really pleased that you also like it.

Thanks for your feedback about Shino. As I said in the author's note, he is a bit of a mystery to me. So any and all feedback you have will really help me.

I really didn't mean to create the feeling that Shino was picking on Sakura. If you're talking about how he told Sakura that she was the only one who couldn't separate romance and work, I just think that he is frank about those things.

And the review doesn't seem like picking at me at all. You said what you liked, and what your problems with the chapter were. That isn't picking, that is constructive feedback - the best kind of review that is. That is my opinion anyway.

**Greatness Alone:** Yes, it's quite true that Kiba, and Akamaru, is able to smell strong chakras like that. You just got to remember that the only time that Naruto actually channeled the Kyuubi's chakra, was at the border. Where Kiba was unconscious. And while it's true that Naruto always has small traces of Kurama's chakra floating in her system, it's always there, and to Kiba that's just how Naruto smells. Though, he will be able to 'sense' the Kyuubi if she ever channels the pure chakra anywhere near him.

As long as it has a little relevance to the story, you're welcome to ask :). I'm happy to answer in anywhere I can. All the questions I get also gets me thinking about things I haven't thought about. And that's good.

**Ladygoddess8:** You're completely right. It is healthier for Naruto to get it out in the world sooner rather than later, but you got to remember her personality. Even with friends like Kiba and Hinata, she is still a very closed person - especially now after what happened between her and Hinata at the border.

You're right; she really needs to talk to Kurenai. That is my fault. I have completely forgotten about that. I guess I will have to come up with something for why she hasn't yet xd. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.

**Chapter 16:** Her Stupid Teammate

* * *

_He scooted a bit closer to her to be able to hear her better. "What about?"_

_She tightened her grip on her legs. "Killing… Me killing others…" Kiba frowned again. He really didn't have much experience with stuff like this. But he did have an idea of what could have caused it. _

"_Does it have something to do with what happened at the border to Tsuchi no Kuni?" No answer. It did have something to do with what happened at Tsuchi no Kuni. He waited another few minutes, but she didn't speak. He began to rise from his seat beside her. "Well, I'll go ba-"_

"_No." He looked down at her and felt her grip her hand. "Can you stay? _Please_." He looked at her for a few seconds. She looked so vulnerable right then at there._

"_Yeah, I can stay," he said and sat down beside. He couldn't help but blush deeply when she wrapped her hands around his arm and pulled her closer._

"_I'm… I'm just not ready to talk about it," her muffled voice sounded from his night blouse. Kiba could understand that. Or really, he couldn't: he couldn't imagine what could be so hard to talk about. Then the memory of Hinata telling him what had happened after he had passed flashed before his eyes. He decided right then and there, that no matter what it was that Naruto kept a secret, no matter what it was that made her so… vulnerable, he wouldn't run away. He would stay by her side. He would help her._

* * *

It was a quiet morning at Tazuna's house. Kurenai had already gone as a guard with the old bridge-builder to the bridge. Kakashi was feeling ever so slightly better, but wasn't yet strong enough to be on guard duty, so he would stick with watching them train. But Kurenai knew that he would be doing minimal watching, and a lot more reading… again. Which was why she would be coming by after Tazuna had arrived safely home, making sure that the genin at least had learned _something_ during the day. Maybe they would even have a little team spar.

At the moment the genin was sitting at the long kitchen table eating breakfast. Hinata and Kiba was having a friendly discussion about some clan business with Shino – Naruto could almost see how much he enjoyed speaking with someone else than his teammates -, while Kakashi sat beside them, chuckling to himself and that book of his.

Sakura kept trying to start a conversation with the brooding Uchiha, but all she was getting was 'hns'. All he was doing while eating was staring at the redhead from Team 8. Well, glaring was more the word, but she wouldn't think a bad word about her crush. Since Sasuke wouldn't even look at her at the moment, the civilian-born kunoichi settled with staring at the object her crush seemed to be so interested in.

And last, but not least, Naruto was sitting peacefully across from Sakura and Sasuke, while reading the book on fuinjutsu she had gotten from the Hokage before they went to Nami no Kuni, and eating the simple but delicious rice and fish which was their breakfast. She knew that the brooding king had been staring at her for a while… he had also done that in the Academy. Well, after she had gotten good, anyway. Or rather, once she had gotten better than him. Anyway, she was used to it. What she wasn't use to was his little pet-kunoichi doing the same thing.

But that wasn't really on her mind this morning. Last night's small event was still clear in her mind – the good parts _and_ the bad parts. She was surprised by how she felt about the whole thing… normally she would've disappeared from the face of the earth for a few days, but she actually felt… happy about it. She hadn't really gotten to talk to Kiba about it as of yet. Though, they had shared stolen looks and glances all morning, followed by the ninken-using shinobi breaking the connection and blushing brightly. And that was usually followed by her smiling _happily_ to herself. Truly happily. Of course, she had been happy for a while now, from when she met Hinata and Kiba, and lately as a shinobi – not counting the small bumps that is. But this feeling was different… She was almost bubbling inside. She felt like laughing every time she looked at her brown-haired teammate. That was something that was sure to freak him out – enough for to almost just do it for that.

The Uzumaki beauty took a bite of her breakfast and flipped a page in the book. "You know, Haruno, if you keep staring at me like that, people will start think it's me you have a crush on, instead of your boyfriend."

Sakura's face turned ripe red – though nothing like what Hinata was capable of – and was about to retort when her 'boyfriend' did it. "I am _not_ her boyfriend. We're just two people on the same team, nothing less, nothing more," he said, almost sounding angry. Naruto almost felt bad for the pinkette, with how her face was now contorted into sadness. Almost. She was still one of the girls that had made her time at the Academy a hell.

"Are you guys still here…? I told you that you should go home. You will only find death in going up against Gato…"

All the people turned to look in the direction the voice had come from. Naruto had berated herself for not paying more attention to her chakra sensitivity. If that had been a shinobi, they could have killed her and her teammates before they even noticed. As she stopped berating herself, she took a look at the person. It was a boy. He couldn't have been more than seven or eight years old. He had spiky black hair, worn under a blue and white striped hat, and dark-colored eyes. He was wearing a green jumpsuit with a yellow shirt and a simple pair of sandals.

Kiba turned to look at the sole jounin in the room, and pointed with his thumb against the small boy. "Who's the midget with trust issues?"

"Kiba!" Hinata said with a disapproving tone.

"Inari," it came from Tsunami. "Don't be so rude against the shinobi. They're here to guard your grandfather while he builds the bridge."

"It won't matter… If you go against Gato you will die." He walked over to his mother, "Kachan, can I eat in my room today?"

"S-sure." She got him a portion of breakfast and gave it to him, whereafter he hurried out of the room. She turned to do her dishes, hiding her face, but all the shinobi could see that she was crying. "Sorry for that," she said quietly. "Inari-chan hasn't been the same since Gato took over…"

Kakashi coughed lightly. "I guess it's time for us to get going."

"Hai," they all responded, some more willingly than others. Naruto smiled softly as she could see that her male teammate would have seconds.

She shook her head lightly and grabbed for her katana, which she then realized wasn't there. She cursed as she figured she had let it be in the room they were residing in, while Hinata and Kiba gave her questioningly looks from their position at the front door, Team 7 already outside. Naruto shrugged, "I just forgot my katana in the room. Just go ahead I'll come as soon as I have gotten it." She got up and headed for the stairs.

"I'll help." Naruto turned around to see Kiba looking hesitantly at her, while deliberately avoiding the look Hinata gave them. Yeah, Hinata knew something was going on. But Naruto didn't care about that just at that moment, and instead settled for smiling at Kiba.

"Sure."

"Ok, then…" the left-out member of Team 8 said, still holding the same look in her eyes. "I'll go on ahead."

Kiba and Naruto went upstairs without saying anything. That wasn't to say that nothing was going on between them: Kiba wore a big grin on his face, while Naruto couldn't help but smile softly, not able to beat down the small blush on her face – all without looking at each other. They could both feel the air electrify between them. As they went up the stairs Naruto felt Kiba's fingers ghost over her own, making shivers run throughout her body. How was he having such an effect on her just compared to yesterday? Why wasn't she doing something about it? Why didn't she _want_ to do something about it? And why was she hoping that she was having the same effect on him, as he did on her?

All the thoughts and questions in her head flew out the door when she heard something from Inari's room. Kiba noticed right away, and the moment was gone. Slowly, with shinobi stealth, she opened the door to a crack to see what was going on. Inside Inari was sitting in the window sill. He was looking out at the ocean, but that was not all. As far as Naruto could see, he was holding a picture frame.

Then he heard sobs from Inari, who were pressing the picture frame further into his hug. "Tou-san" it came half-smothered from Inari. It almost broke her heart hearting the stifled voice calling out for what Naruto could only guess was his late father. She looked at her teammate and saw the same expression she was sure she was wearing. He was about to go into the room, but Naruto raised her hand, stopping him from moving further in. He looked at her with questions burning in his eyes, but she simply shook her head. They quietly got and closed the door, and went to get the katana.

* * *

Team 8 and Team 7 were standing in front of each other, facing each other off. It was no secret that the two Konoha teams had a… strained relationship, mostly sprouting from Sakura's and Sasuke's treatment of the strongest genin of Team 8. Due to that, Hinata and Kiba both had little patience with the two – though they showed it in very different ways. It was due to this tension that Kakashi was tentative about actually allowing the two teams to spar with each other… But, Kurenai had insisted it would be a good experience for both teams. And none of the genin seemed to worry about the upcoming spar. Which also worried him.

"Kakashi-senseiiiiiiiiiii, can we start soon? I'm itching to plant a fist in his royal highness' face!" Kiba said in exaggerated impatientness.

Kakashi just looked lazily at him, actually surprised that his teammates didn't scold him for his lack of patience. It seemed like he wasn't the only one who wanted to get started. He gave a heavy sigh. "All right then. But remember, this is a _spar_ not a battle. You are not to aim to severely hurt each other – we are all Konoha shinobi here, and we need you all to be able to fight when Zabuza returns. That means no Ninjutsu or Taijutsu that can maim or incapacitate the other team. And when I say the fight is over, then the fight is over. Understood?"

"Hai," bother genin teams said out loud.

Kakashi looked warily at the genin, before moving his hand down in a quick movement. "Hajime!"

Right away Sasuke charged towards Team 8, as Shino moved a little backwards, with Sakura behind him. They seemed to wait on something, so Team 8 didn't waste any time: Hinata moved forward and intercepted. Only a second after being on the offensive, the Uchiha heir was forced on the defensive, as he was pushed close to his limit by the Hyuuga main branch member. To say he was surprised was an understatement; while he knew that Hinata never had been weak, she hadn't been able to beat him in the Academy. The only one who had been able to do that was… a certain whiskered girl. But here she was, actually pushing him back. It was clear that she had trained; she was stronger, that much was clear from the strikes, but it was her speed that had improved the most. And that was obvious why; she only needed to tap him to push chakra into his system and hurt him. He grunted as he deflected and dodged strike after strike, remembering that he couldn't block her chakra-infused palms.

Seeing their teammate in trouble, Shino began deploying his kikaichu towards the two kekkei genkai holders as Sakura began throwing a volley of shuriken and kunai towards Hinata's two unoccupied teammates.

"Kiba," Naruto stated, and an unspoken agreement was spoken between them. The Inuzuka went through a short sequence of hand-seals.

"_Fuuton: Reppusho!_" He threw his palms towards the shinobi weapons flying through the air. Out his palms flew a thick gale of wind, heading very fast towards its target. It hit the kunai and shuriken with a loud clatter of metal: the weapons all flew in the direction the gale had headed, hitting each other, and completely getting of course from their original target. Kiba hadn't waited to see what happened, however, as he quickly flipped over on his hands, and gathering a lot of chakra at the sole of his feet. Naruto nodded to him as she jumped on top of his feet, also having gathered chakra at her soles. They released the chakra at the same time as Kiba kicked her off, causing the Uzumaki heiress to fly about ten meters into the air in the air and above the two clan heirs fighting. She tilted her body so she headed towards her target; Shino. As she closed in she began spinning head over heels in the air to increase the speed of the impact. Less than three meters above the ground she stretched out her right leg, ready to give a heel kick at where Shino stood. The Aburame clan member didn't see it coming, but lucky for him his pink-haired teammate did. Sakura ran as fast as she could and threw her body to throw her teammate out of the way of the attack, effectively making him break off his attack on Hinata.

CRASH!

Sakura and Shino stared with wide eyes and Naruto squatted with her right leg outstretched in a small impression in the ground, her heel being in the center. There was no time to take a break as Hinata came dashing towards them, her hands glowing slightly blue with chakra. Momentarily confused, they looked over to Sasuke, only to see him struggling against Kiba and Akamaru – though he had an easier time than he had with Hinata. At least now he was also on the offensive. Shino had time to jump back, but it was no such luck with Sakura.

"Ha!" Hinata said out loud as she stroke Sakura's right arm, making her wince. Just after Hinata grabbed said arm, Sakura not being able to move it fast enough due to the attack, and rose her right arm into the air. "_Raiton: Hiraishin!_" The pale-eyed girls arm crackled as electricity ran down her arm, across her body, through her left arm, and onto Sakura.

"Arrgh!" it came from Sakura. Lucky enough for her, before Hinata had a chance for another attack, Shino came to the rescue with his insects, pushing the clan heiress back. Sakura stood twitching beside her creepy teammate, nodding lightly thanks to him. She turned her attention back on Hinata, who was now joined by a confidently smirking Naruto. She glanced over at the love of her life, to see him being pushed back ever so slightly by _Kiba_. '_How the hell are they so strong!_' she thought to herself shocked. She glanced over at Kakashi, who was half-watching, half-reading. She glared at her teacher, '_I bet it's because you haven't trained us._' Then the two kunoichi of the rivaling team charged.

Sasuke was all but seething by now. He _may_ be able to understand how Naruto had gotten strong – as much as he wanted to deny it, she had been stronger than him for a couple of years now –, but also the stuttering loser and the underdog from of one of the most impure clans from the village? This was _not_ going how he had thought it would. He would have charged in, taken down the two losers fast, and then beat the redhead, proving once and for all that the Uchiha was the strongest in Konoha. So this was _not_ going the way he had planned. First, the stuttering pale-eyed heiress intercepted him, and stood against him, even pushing him back! Just as he was about to get the hang of her fighting style, and how he could counter it, she switched places with the dog boy and his mutt. He did slightly better this time around, but now he had to adapt to the almost savage style of the Inuzuka clan. He had had it!

Pushing all his strength he kicked the Inuzuka away, dodging his mutt by dashing back at the same time. He didn't care what Kakashi said; he was going to show who was the strongest genin there! With that, he started the hand-seals for the Uchiha clan's most famous ninjutsu. Kiba, not wanting to be outdone, started the seals of the only battle-ready ninjutsu he knew.

Kakashi's eyes widened as he knew what was about to happen. "Kiba! Sasuke! Don't do it!"

The outburst stopped the other genin from fighting, all of them spinning around to see what was happening. Naruto eyes widened as she saw the seals both of them were going through; she knew with almost full certainty that Kiba would use his _Fuuton: Reppusho_. And judging from the seals the Uchiha heir was going through, and at the same time taking his heritage into consideration, he was going to use some sort of katon technique. Which meant… She didn't think anymore and went on instinct.

"_Fuin Kai!_" the seal-mistress in training said, holding her hands in the ram-seal. Her wrist visible lit up with exotic markings none of the shinobi present had seen, Naruto knowing the same display would show on her legs. Then she ran towards the two _stupid, stupid_ boys. Before she knew it she was besides Kiba, going through her own seals.

"_Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!_"

"_Fuuton: Reppusho!_"

A great fireball took shape in front of the arrogant Uchiha, roaring its way towards the two clan heirs, Sasuke having an arrogant smile that this was going to show them. Kiba, wearing his own confident grin, and not listening to his partners whimpering, once again pushed his palms forward, a gale pushing towards to counter the katon technique. Kiba's grin soon turned to horror when he saw his fuuton jutsu getting swallowed by the fireball, not only completely wiping it out, but also empowering the Onyx-eyed genin's ninjutsu.

With all the adrenalin in her body, the Uzumaki heiress summoned as much chakra as she could, as fast as she could, the air around her humming with chakra. She settled on the last hand-seal of her jutsu, and took a breath not much unlike what Sasuke had done moments earlier. "_Suiton: Mizurappa!_"

The sheer size and power of the suiton jutsu pushed Naruto backwards, forcing her to channel chakra to her feet also. The roar could be heard for miles as the water trumpet completely extinguished the katon jutsu, before hitting Sasuke with what force was left, and flushed him out in the woods. When the jutsu ended Naruto stood drenching in what, both from the jutsu and her own sweat, before falling down on her knees.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura screamed and ran after the boy, Shino following after her. Sasuke and Sakura may not be his most favorite people in the world, but they were his teammate, and they had formed a bond of mutual benefit.

Naruto trembled and took deep breaths to calm herself down and flush the remains of the adrenalin out of her system. Kiba and Hinata were with her moments after, both with wide eyes. They were on the same team, yes, but their best friend just kept getting stronger and stronger so much faster than them. Sure, having a small army of _Kage Bunshin_ helped, but it also took a lot of natural skill.

"Naruto-chan, are you ok?" Hinata asked putting a hand on her shaky shoulder. But instead of answering, Naruto's head snapped in the opposite direction, glaring at her male teammate.

"You are the most irresponsible, most stupid moron I have ever met!" she yelled at him, anger about his action only showing itself too clear in her voice. Kiba, true to his clan's relationship to dogs, bowed down to the authority in her voice, knowing not exactly what he had done, but that it was most likely true. Naruto got up and began poking him, hard, in the chest. "You don't just answer an unknown ninjutsu with your own jutsu! He was casting a _katon_ jutsu for crying out loud, and you answered with a _fuuton_ jutsu! You saw what happened! You only made it stronger! If I hadn't been there, the whole mission would've gone south, you most likely needing to be hurried back to Konoha to get on the hospital, and Sasuke being on probation for hurting a fellow Konoha shinobi on a mission, when told not to! You could've been really hurt!" When she finished her small preach, she stood huffing and puffing, truly exhausted from the events that happened in the last few minutes, and truly low on her immediate chakra.

Kakashi came down right after putting a hand on her other shoulder, nodding at her. "Don't worry, Naruto, we're all here an ok." After he said that, a humiliated and wet Sasuke came out of the forest with his team, but otherwise ok.

"Don't count on that brat being ok when I get my hands on him…" she mumbled and got over to a tree to relax for a few minutes.

* * *

"Wrong again, Uchiha. You put way too much chakra into your feet the last two steps. Seriously, aren't your clan supposed to be one of the strongest in Konoha?"

"The Uchiha _are_ the strongest clan in Konoha! You know, maybe it isn't me who is doing wrong here, maybe it's you!"

Naruto sighed and looked up from her book and down on the last loyal member of the Uchiha clan sitting on his ass. He had been like that since they had started after a bit of rest, hours earlier, and going on about how it was _her_ fault that he couldn't do it. He had been a even bigger pain in the ass than usual, since she had taken down his fuuton-infused katon jutsu. But she had no patience over for him after what he did, throwing caution to the wind, and could've very well injured Kiba.

To be fair, he did a pretty good job so far, but he wouldn't have any of it. She really didn't like the Uchiha heir… It's true that it might infuriate him that she was standing upside down below a branch, while reading nonetheless, while instructing him, but she also needed some training. And since there wasn't any water surfaces anywhere near them, and she really didn't want to bother to create one, she had to settle with this. She looked down at the dark-haired boy who had gotten off his behind, though not doing anything else than glaring at her.

Why, oh why couldn't Kakashi have assigned her to teach Shino? He and Hinata seemed to have fun. Probably because he actually listened to what his instructor said to him.

And Kiba had definitely got the easy job with instructing Sakura: she had climbed the tree on her first try. Now he was simply helping her stay on the tree for a longer period of time. While the pinkette had incredible chakra control, it was most likely because of her small chakra reserves.

And all the while this was going on Kakashi was sitting up a tree reading his perverted books. Naruto swore to herself that if she ever found the man – and she was Kami damn sure it was a man! – who had written that 'Icha Icha' series, she was going to kick him so hard in the nuts, that they would have to be surgically removed from his gut.

"Hn, you aren't even going to answer me? Are you just going to hang there!?"

Naruto closed her book with a loud 'clap' that echoed through the part of the forest they were in, and gained the attention of all who was there. "You know what, _almighty_ Uchiha?" it sounded irate from Naruto. "If it's me who does something wrong here, then why don't you do it yourself?" The Uzumaki heiress released the chakra that connected her to the underside of a branch, making her fall towards the ground, flipping just before she hit it. "Kaka-sensei and your team may have to take your shit, but I certainly do _not_."

"Don't talk to Sasuke-kun like that, redheaded freak!" it came from Sakura. Naruto rolled her eyes and made a condescending 'tsk'. What a surprise: the little pink puppy came to the defense of her master. The Uzumaki clan member turned around and was about to walk away when Sakura just had to push it. Mumbling out of the pink-haired girl's mouth came, "The adults are right. You really are a monster."

The whole of Team 8 flinched at the remark. Both Hinata and Kiba narrowed their eyes at the remark, though Kiba's response was greater than his female teammate.

"Don't you dare call Naruto a monster! You have no idea what you're talking about, _civilian_!" Kiba growled.

Akamaru were, beside Kiba in an instant, all the hairs on his back standing on end. "Auf, Auf, Growl!"

Hinata and Shino just stood at the sidelines for now, both with furrowed brows. Both knew that Naruto wasn't the nicest person towards the people who treated her badly, but the fault was lying with the other members of Team 7. They knew that if they joined in, the fight would just escalate.

The small confrontation had also made Kakashi look up from his book. "Now, now, there is no need to fight each other here. We are all Konoha shinobi. You already had your small spar." Sadly, none of the involved were listening.

"Well, she has no right to refuse to train an Uchiha! I'm the last person in with the Sharingan," Sasuke said with an arrogant smirk and tone.

That made Naruto laugh out loud at the dark-haired boy. "Hah! So you actually activated your Sharingan yet?" Sasukes response was to glare at her. "Just as I thought."

Kakashi looked flatly at the redheaded kunoichi. "That wasn't nice, Naruto…"

"Not so tough now, are you _Uchiha_," the Inuzuka clan member said, sticking his tongue out and pulling down his lower right eyelid.

"Kiba, don't encourage her!" the jounin said

"Stop picking on Sasuke-kun!" Sakura all but screamed and threw a punch at the ninken-using boy's face. That's when Hinata joined in. Already in her clan's juukenpo stance, and with her dojutsu activated, she blocked the strike. Sakura stepped back in surprise. Wasn't the Hyuuga heiress over by Shino less than a second ago?

"Sakura-san, I have nothing particular against you, though I certainly don't like you either, but if you try to harm my teammates again, I won't hold back." It was said with Hinata's soft spoken voice, but the edge made shivers run down Sakura's spine. And the Byakugan was too creepy, with all the bulking veins…

"Come on, don't fight…" Kakashi had finally gotten off his lazy but, and stood between them, his hands ready to intercept any of them.

Naruto the others either didn't hear or didn't listen to the jounin-sensei. That's when Naruto felt the tug in the Kyuubi's seal. She looked around on the other genin: all but Shino, who hadn't gotten involved in any way, but was trying to climb the tree again, had hazy eyes, as if they were watching something that wasn't here. Genjutsu. Only a second later Hinata had broken out of the genjutsu, curtsey of her kekkei genkai, and a few seconds later Kiba broke out of it.

"Seriously Kakashi, you had one job…"

The unaffected shinobi looked up in the tree behind them. There Kurenai was standing with a very disapproving look, both directed at Kakashi, but also her students.

"You guys promised me you wouldn't go too far," she said in slight disappointment to her genin.

"Gomenasai, Kurenai-sensei…" it came from all three of them.

The woman sighed and looked over at Kakashi who was breaking his own students out of the genjutsu she had cast. "I think this is enough training for one day. Why don't you go back to Tazuna-san's home and relax." They didn't need to be told twice and ran as a team out of the small clearing. Kurenai looked as Kakashi now was setting his two troublemakers in place. She knew she would also need to talk with Naruto and Kiba… She had heard what the kunoichi of the other team had called Naruto, and did not like it any better than her students. But they needed to learn to just let it go. She turned to look in the direction her charges had taken off in. She was beginning to worry about Naruto… she hadn't really talked to her about what happened at the border. That was her fault: she didn't think it would affect the girl so much. But it was clear that it had.

When she turned her attention back to Kakashi he was back at climbing trees with his own students, Sasuke complaining and all. She took a deep breath; this was going to be a _very_ long week.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the later than usual update. I have had some other stuff to do and on my mind, so writing hasn't been my priority. That and I've also thought a bit about how I wanted this arc – The Wave Arc – to turn out. I have gotten lots and lots of tips and advices from you, my readers, in form of reviews and PM's. You have my most sincere thanks for that.

Talking about that, I'm actually a little surprised that I haven't gotten any flames at all. Sure, there are the rare persons who think its weird Naruto is a girl and all that, but mostly the reviews I have gotten have been constructive, naming both the good and bad things. So thank you for that, too :). And I'm completely stoked about how many reviews I got last chapter. Guess I got to ask for them more often xd. Nah, kidding, but really, thank you to everyone who reviewed. It's you guys who motivate me to write more and more.

And then a question to you guys: What did you think of the semi-romantic thing I wrote first in the chapter, about the atmosphere between Kiba and Naruto? Am I moving to slow? Didn't it seem like them? And then was just the romance written ok? Either review or PM if you want to answer; I'll be happy either way.

As for the fighting scene; I know some of you (maybe more than not) would've liked it to be longer. But this isn't the big battle yet, and I don't want to burn myself out with writing to much fighting; I will have to write more than enough fighting when the chunin exams come around, and after that, the invasion of Konoha. But I hope that the scene at least showed the difference in power between the two, and most likely all, the genin teams. And yeah, they might seem (too) strong, but they have also worked their ass out for it! I mean, you all read their morning regime (which they are still doing when not on missions), and then just think of the individual training Kiba and Hinata are doing with their clans, and the training Naruto are doing by herself. Of course they are strong ;).

Also, on a note about the fight, a couple of you may ask how Naruto could run low on chakra. My understanding is that while you have a lot of chakra, all of it may not be available at every moment. What Naruto did was to summon _all_ the chakra she currently had in her body and put it all into one jutsu, all but emptying her immediate reserves. But after a few minutes of rest, her great stores quickly flushed chakra out into her body again.

On another note, as requested by Engineer4Ever, I will try to give you the stats on TRToK!Team 8. Keep in mind that I haven't done it before – hell, before Engineer4Ever told me about it, I wasn't completely sure what it was. But after doing some research with the guy, and some on my own, I have come up with some stats I _think_ fits them. Sorry if they seem either over or underpowered.

I've made them out from the second data book and first data books, and with help from Engineer4Ever. I want you to bear in mind that while the Wave arc was like a month after graduation in canon, it has been like two to two-and-a-half months in this story. And they have all trained hard. Well, here goes:

Naruto

Ninjutsu: 3

Taijutsu: 2.5

Genjutsu: 1.5

Intelligence: 3,5

Strength: 3

Speed: 3

Stamina: 3.5

Hand seals: 3

Total: 23

Kiba:

Ninjutsu: 2.5

Taijutsu: 3

Genjutsu: 1

Intelligence: 1.5

Strength: 3,5

Speed: 3.5

Stamina: 2

Hand Seals: 1.5

Total: 18,5

Hinata:

Ninjutsu: 1.5

Taijutsu: 3.5

Genjutsu: 2

Intelligence: 3

Strength: 2

Speed: 3

Stamina: 2

Hand Seals: 2

Total: 19

So there you have them. And before you say that Naruto is too strong, remember that Neji had a total of 25 skill points in the chunin exam. I have given Naruto just the slightest more. I have also improved both Kiba and Hinata in areas I think was obvious. Both have gotten higher genjutsu skill – or rather the ability to dispel genjutsu -, Hinata has gained a bit more stamina from her morning training with the team, and so on. Hope it pleases you all.

That was really all I had to say for this time. I will try to write the next chapter within a week, but no promises!

Until next time :).

**Kikaichu - Parasitic Insects; literally meaning "Parasitic Destruction Insects":** The kikaichu are a species of small, beetle-like insects that are bred and utilized exclusively by the Aburame clan, forming the basis for all of their unique techniques.

**Fuuton: Reppusho – Wind Release: Gale Palm:** A simple technique that when the users hands are clapped together, wind is compressed and transformed into a powerful gale. This technique, when used as an isolated attack has the power to easily knock over a human. Though the true value comes from using it together with projectile weapons like shuriken or kunai. Their speed, power, and ability to wound or even kill are all increased several times.

**Raiton: Hiraishin – Lightning Release: Lightning Rod:** After coming into physical contact with the opponent, the user raises their arm into the air, generating a bolt of electricity which travels through their body into the body of the opponent. The power of the attack depends on the users skill.

**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu – Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique:** A technique where chakra kneaded inside the body is converted into fire, and expelled from the mouth either as a massive orb of roaring flame or as a continuous flame-thrower. The scope of the attack is altered by controlling the volume of chakra that is mustered. The released flames will engulf their target, and leave a crater on the ground's surface. This technique apparently requires more than average chakra reserves and most genin should not be able to do this technique.

The Uchiha clan also uses this technique as a "coming of age" rite and as such was a common and one of the more favored technique amongst them.

**Suiton: Mizurappa – Water Release: Water Trumpet:** The user launches a large jet of water from their mouth through their hand. This gives the appearance of playing a trumpet, hence the name.


	17. Her Cracking Mask

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Pucflek:** I was actually a little nervous about the fighting. I thought that maybe it was too short? I, of course, knows how much the fighting scenes fill, with how much detail you got to write and all. So I always have to write the whole scene, read it through, and look at it with critical eyes. Even then I'm not sure xd.

You might be right on the chakra thing. As I said, it was just a theory, and one I made up there. But I believe it now. One thing you got to remember is that when you cast a ninjutsu, it isn't normal that you use all the chakra you have available at that exact moment. Naruto used all chakra she had in that exact moment. If I should expand the theory, I would say that it really isn't easy to summon so much chakra, and that she was only able to do it because of the adrenalin in her body. *shrugs*.

It's good to hear you don't think it's too slow. About the romance, that is. But, as I've said about a hundred times, I've never really written romance. I have in the last week read some romance fanfics, so I've gotten a bit of an idea, but in the end, it has to come from me. Right now I'm just trying to build that atmosphere about them, that neither want to do anything about. Those small moments, like when they were walking up the stairs. For now that is.

**Gruffard:** I really don't mean to do any Sakura bashing. I quite like that girl. And even if I don't like Sasuke, I don't like bashing. But the way I see it, Naruto being a girl, she will have a completely different relationship with Sakura. Especially when Naruto is the only girl Sasuke seem to be paying attention to, and then Naruto doesn't give a crap about Sasuke. That will sour their interaction.

But I do plan on them becoming friends later on. You can just see in canon; at the start Konoha 11 wasn't the best of friends, but they got really close and all that :).

Yeah, Team 7 is/did probably do a lot of fitness too, but I don't think it's anything like what Kurenai did with her team. Kurenai pushed them hard right from the start, wanting them to get ready for the world that is shinobi. Team 7, believe it or not, is quite strong/not weak for a genin team. Team 8 are just insane :).

**Jrwest:** I agree; it's very Kiba to stand up for his friends, so of course he will stand up for his crush. He has that whole pack-mentality going on and all that, and he is the kind of guy who just won't sit through his friends getting abused, mentally or physically.

I absolutely loved the scene where Naruto had a rant on Kiba's expense. In my opinion, it showed the depth of her feelings for him, while at the same time showed of what kind of powers she possesses'.

As for my plan. I don't really know about Sasuke - I really don't like that guy - but I'm trying not to bash him. I just think he has always been arrogant, so I'm trying to reflect that. Sakura will be growing up: I plan on Konoha 11 being pretty close - just like in canon - at some point, but that doesn't mean that they're friends from day one. Kiba and Naruto will end up together, of course, but how that happens I won't say.

**Chapter 17:** Her Cracking Mask

* * *

"_Seriously Kakashi, you had one job…"_

_The unaffected shinobi looked up in the tree behind them. There Kurenai was standing with a very disapproving look, both directed at Kakashi, but also her students._

"_You guys promised me you wouldn't go too far," she said in slight disappointment to her genin._

"_Gomenasai, Kurenai-sensei…" it came from all three of them. _

_The woman sighed and looked over at Kakashi who was breaking his own students out of the genjutsu she had cast. "I think this is enough training for one day. Why don't you go back to Tazuna-san's home and relax." They didn't need to be told twice and ran as a team out of the small clearing. Kurenai looked as Kakashi now was setting his two troublemakers in place. She knew she would also need to talk with Naruto and Kiba… She had heard what the kunoichi of the other team had called Naruto, and did not like it any better than her students. But they needed to learn to just let it go. She turned to look in the direction her charges had taken off in. She was beginning to worry about Naruto… she hadn't really talked to her about what happened at the border. That was her fault: she didn't think it would affect the girl so much. But it was clear that it had. _

_When she turned her attention back to Kakashi he was back at climbing trees with his own students, Sasuke complaining and all. She took a deep breath; this was going to be a very long week._

* * *

Naruto leaned back on her hands on the railing of the bridge, enjoying the cool breeze that was coming in from the small ocean between Nami no Kuni and Hi no Kuni. It had been a slow day, really. In sight of what had happened yesterday, Kurenai and Kakashi had assigned her to guard-duty at the bridge, just leaving a clone with them as a way of communicate with them if anything happened. Which they didn't really expect to, but you never know.

Tazuna had told Naruto to get up around four a.m., as they were needed at the bridge at five. To be honest, she was looking forward to it. A day away from Team 7 – not counting Shino, whom she actually quite liked – and a day near water, which meant she could continue her water-walking training. So as soon as they had arrived at the bridge, Naruto had jumped quickly off it to the surface and made about thirty clones. She could've made a lot more, but as they were on a mission with missing-nin as their foe, she didn't want to exhaust herself too much… not that it was easy to do that.

Tazuna and Naruto had been the first to arrive, with the twenty or so workers slowly filing in as the time got closer and closer to six a.m. As they had been about to start, one of the workers had asked were the shinobi guarding them was. Not really thinking it would be a big deal, the Bridge-builder towards the Uzumaki heiress. This caused disgruntled looks from almost all the workers, and a one even had the nerve of saying how a _girl_ should be able to protect them. She had quickly turned her most icy glare towards the guy. All the workers had felt like the temperature had dropped several degrees, and slowly inched away from the poor guy. With the only sound being heard was her shoes clapping on the stone of the bridge, she walked over to one of the heavier stone-components of the bridge. One of the more bulky workers was having problems with it, so when she had grabbed it and lifted it with relative ease, before moving it over where it was supposed to be, there was no more complaints. This, of course, had closed the mouth of any and all the workers, who quickly went to work, not wanting to get on the bad side of their guard, all knowing that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. So they didn't want to think about how much fury a shinobi-trained woman had – even if she wasn't quite a woman yet.

"Oi gaki, are you bored or what?" Tazuna's voice sounded, catching Naruto's attention.

"Hmm, not really. Just thinking," she answered in a relaxed voice, surprising Tazuna. He hadn't really gotten to know the redhead, but he had gotten the feeling that she really didn't stand for any crap. So seeing her so laidback as this was intriguing.

Tazuna bent down and got his bottle of water. "Yeah? What about?"

Naruto sighed let her feet drop of the railing, dangling them long above the surface of the ocean. "Home. Or what could've been my home…" Confused and curious with the answer the old man waited for her to say more. He waited, and nothing else. Finally, when he was about to go back to work, she spoke up.

"You know, I'm the last of my clan."

Tazuna leaned back onto the railing, "like Sasuke-san?" Naruto's face turned a bit sour at the mention of the other Konoha genin, making Tazuna raise an eyebrow.

"I guess. Though, I didn't have to live through mine getting massacred. That happened… long ago." She sighed looked over the waters with a dreamy look on her face. "My clan's ancestral home was on a couple of islands out in the ocean. We had a close relationship to it… so when I'm here in Nami no Kuni, and see the relationship you have to it – no matter how strained it has become under Gato – I wonder if that's how it was like to live in Uzu."

"I see…" The bridge-builders said deep in though. "Though, don't you like to live in Konohagakure? It seems like a fantastic place to live."

"Yeah, I do," the girl said. "It's my home, and I grew up there. But I have a strained relationship with the people there, due to something I have no control over. But yes, I love Konoha, and could never imagine leaving there."

That made Tazuna smile; "You know," he said, getting a little uncomfortable with what he was about to say. "I may not complete understand you, but I can relate to how you feel. I'm ashamed over it, but I would be lying if I said that I've never thought about leaving Nami. You know, just take Tsunami and Inari with me in the middle of the night, and just flee to the mainland somewhere. But…" He got a prideful expression in his face, "I just couldn't. I couldn't leave the rest of the people here to suffer under Gato when I'm able to help them. That's why it's so important I build this bridge. For the people, and for my family."

For the first time he saw the girl smile. It was a beautiful smile, and he could tell it was sincere. "Good for you. I'll make sure that Zabuza doesn't get in the way. You just focus on the bridge."

He nodded back at the girl, knowing she would give her all, her life if necessary, to guard him.

"May I have a word with you Tazuna?" a voice from behind them interrupted.

Both of them looked at the newcomer. Tazuna put down the bottle of water he had been carrying. "Sure thing Giichi. Is something wrong?"

"Well… I have thought a lot about it, and I think I'm going to quit building the bridge" Giichi said, looking down on the ground as if ashamed, not going unnoticed by Naruto.

"W-what! No… Not you too Giichi… Why the sudden change of mind?" Tazuna asked surprised, and a little outraged. Again, Naruto could see behind the façade, and could see the sadness that streaked his face.

"Tazuna, I have known you for a long time, and you have become a good friend," the man, Giichi, said, putting a friendly hand on his old friends shoulder. "I want to help, I really do, but if I get much more involved in this, Gato will go right after me and my family when he's done with you. I have to think on the wife and the kids you know…" Giichi replied. Naruto could see that he was really split in this decision, but he had finally valued his family more. Naruto couldn't blame him; it was something she longed after her whole life. She longed after getting to know her father and to have her mother alive. Naruto respected the man's decision. Tazuna didn't look that convinced. Giichi continued "I want to build the bridge and save Nami as much as the next islander, but everything will lose meaning if you die." Naruto cocked an eyebrow _'So he is also concerned for his old friend? I like that guy'_. Giichi almost looked pleadingly at Tazuna "Why don't we stop building the bridge?"

The Uzumaki heiress almost chocked when she heard what the man suggested. She knew that the man was concerned for his friend, but how could he suggest something like that? After all that Tazuna had done for it to be build, including lying his ass off to the Hokage, one of the mightiest persons on the Elemental Continents.

Tazuna had regained his calm look, and answered just as calm. "You know I can't do that. This bridge is _our_ bridge. Not just yours or mine, or the workers bridge, but the bridge of all the islanders of Nami no Kuni. This is the bridge, build on the hopes of the people, the hope that we can break free from Gato's rule, that we can increase our distribution and transportation that will increase the wealth in this poor country. "

"But if we die…"

"If we die," Tazuna interrupted, "people will know that Tazuna the bridge builder died for what he believed in. That he died in the hope that someone would take over his work. That he died believing that Nami no Kuni will finally break free from Gato, if not by his own hands, then by the hands of his successor." He mirrored his friend and put a hand on his shoulder. "I can't ask you to do it, but I will continue to build this bridge until my dying breath. I don't blame you if you don't want to risk your family… You can go home if you want."

Giichi looked sad at his old friend, before giving up convincing him with a sigh. He took of his uniform and the tools he had used, and gave it to Tazuna. "I'm sorry old friend". And with that he left the bridge.

Tazuna stood there for a while, just starring at where his old friend had left. He didn't even hear the soft steps behind him before he turned to put the uniform down. He turned around to see his young guard picking up the tools Giichi had left, and pick up the log with ease that Tazuna had put down he had come to talk to her. He gave the girl a questioning look, "What are you doing?"

She gave him a toothy grin. "How do you think I can _not_ help you after you telling me your reasons for building the bridge, and then having that small speech there. Even if I don't approve of the way you lied to Hokage-sama, or the way you apparently have treated my peers, you have earned some respect in my eyes – though, only a little… old man."

Tazuna grinned at the girl as she started walking over to where the log needed to be. He decided that he liked her. She had a certain 'spark' over her, a calming aura. She may have seemed a little cold at first, but that was certainly not true.

"Thanks kid," he said after her. "I'm sure it will help. I just hope there aren't any more workers who'll quit just now: We're almost done with the bridge, maybe one and a half to two weeks more… But, just like Giichi, there are people who have families back home. And they're not willing to risk them – not that I blame them for it."

Naruto just looked back at him, smiling at the man she only could describe as nothing but a hero of Nami no Kuni. She would definitely not give up on this. She needed to help this people.

* * *

Tazuna and Naruto were walking down the main street of the biggest town in the area. In all honesty, it didn't deserve the name town or road. It was a long dust trail, where shacks and cracked stone buildings stood along the sides. The inhabitants weren't in much better shape. They wore clothes, if you could call it that, which looked to be made up of sacks and mould infested cloth. But the thing that hit Naruto the hardest were the children. The children were at every turn and corner, at every opening to every store, begging to get just the tiniest attention, and the tiniest amount of food. Naruto's heart throbbing in painful memories… it reminded her of the year she had been kicked out of the orphanage, before the Hokage had found her and given her the apartment she was living in now. This was not how children should live. They should live in innocence and ignorance of the world around them. Anything but this…

What more was that the people were walking around in the street, keeping to the sites, very carefully, like they were afraid that their life could be taken from them within a seconds notice. Naruto realized that that was true for them: if Gato went on a little rampage, he could probably wipe out a small town like this without much, if any, resistance.

"W-what is the meaning of this?" the Uzumaki heiress asked, almost not able to cover up the depth of her outrage of this. She bet she didn't do a very good job at it, but right now her own image wasn't much to her concern.

Tazuna sighed. A very sad sigh, that told her more of how he felt about this than a thousand words could. "Nami no Kuni have been like this since Gato took over…"

They didn't speak more than that. Naruto couldn't help but get a little uncomfortable… all the men on the street was eyeing her, and she did not want to know why. Of course, she could take them all on. Probably all at once. But that didn't help her feeling of disgust and distrust to go away. Especially with the attempts on her when she had been smaller. Most fortunate for her, nothing had ever happened – not even closer – but the memories were still some of her darkest. Internally Naruto shuddered. She continued after Tazuna, who had walked in a store – the only store that could really be called a store – to look for ingredients for the night's meal.

She was far from happy with what she saw. It was the same as the street and the town; the shelves were close to empty, with only a few foodstuff scattered here and there. And they didn't look fresh, quite the opposite. Naruto sighed and became only more determined to see that this country was set free from Gato, and that said man was burned in the deepest pits of hell for what he had done.

She walked after her charge, very aware of the looks both of them were given now. She needed to be ready to jump into action at any moment, if anyone got stupid – or desperate – enough to try and steal from them. It didn't happen in the store, and they walked out of the store after having paid way too much when considering what they had bought. Back in Konoha they could've most likely had bought quadruple the amount. If it wasn't herself that was shopping, that is.

They hadn't walked more than a few meters before Naruto felt a tucking in her bag, evident that someone was trying to get into it. Her eyes narrowed and she spun around, ready to hit whatever desperate fool unconscious for just trying. She stopped in her tracks as she saw who was standing in front of him: a little girl who couldn't have been more than eight years old.

"Please, shinobi-san. Do you have any food to spare for me and my siblings?" she said, holding her hands out.

"S-sure," the redhead smiled sadly at the girl, as she took off her bag, set it on the ground, and took out one of her sealing scrolls. She rolled it out, putting to fingers at the center at the alien-like patterns, and the other hand in half the ram-seal. "Kai!" a small bag full of shinobi rations appeared. She handed it to the girl, "Here you go. It doesn't taste very good, but… it will keep you full."

The girl's eyes lit up with joy, as she happily accepted the small bag. She bowed deeply – too deeply of what a child should have to do. "Thank you, shinobi-san! She turned around and ran into one of the alleys, away from prying eyes and thieves. Naruto got up and fastened the bag again.

"That was very kind of you" Tazuna noted

"Yeah… They remind me of myself when I was little…" an absent minded and truly upset Naruto responded, before starting to head out of the town. It peeked Tazuna curiosity, but he could see he wouldn't get more of an answer for now.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yeah, I know, it's a short chapter, and it there really isn't much happening in it. I will get to that later in the Author's Note.

As some of the first in this Author's Note, I have to explain something a lot of you saw in the last chapter: Kakashi's behavior. A lot of you have said that he really seemed like an ass in that chapter. It was _really_ not my intention. He isn't the best teacher, no, but he certainly doesn't approve that Sakura calling Naruto a monster. That was my fault; I didn't write that particular part of the scene probably. I hope that you can forgive me for that ;).

Now, to why I have written the chapter as I have. I know I said that I wanted to progress faster – which I really do – but I don't want to skip over things. I think this chapter was important to show Naruto's progression, moving away from being to guarded when meeting new people, to be a bit more accommodating.

To the next agenda: I may not be able to update as much in the following weeks – some of you may already have noticed that I have updated less the last couple of chapters. The reason for that is that I got an exam coming up in the end of December (yikes), and that takes priority of course.

Anyway, the next chapter we will (finally) have a little talk between the members of Team 8, and the confrontation between Naruto and Hinata will be coming up. Some secrets may or may not be revealed… Let's just hope everyone and every thing goes unscathed from the small fight that may or may not ensue.

As a last note, I want to do some commercial for a new story of mine. I know that this may or may not appeal to a lot of you guys, but I have started a new Twilight fanfiction. And I must say, it's a lot different than writing Naruto. The first, and most obvious, difference is that Twilight is in first person. Which is completely new to me. But, I like it: it's a break from the all-knowing writer I am in Naruto. And then I just enjoy to be able to write about an everyday life, with a little part super-natural, and not the constant mission and shit. Don't get me wrong, I love The Red Tempest of Konoha, and have a lot planned for it, but it's just nice to be able to write something in a completely other universe, and about completely different things.

Well, that was really it for this time.

Until Next Time :)


	18. Her Worries

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Roboguy45:** Yeah, she really is strong :). As for if she will ever learn from Tsunade how to be, like, 'monster' strong… only time will tell.

As for why she is so strong, I think I already explained that in a previous chapter. Her muscle fibers are much denser than they are for normal people - I think it was thrice as dense. So of course she will get strong when she trains them, and make them even denser :).

And Tsunade is actually one fourth Uzumaki: Her Grandmother - Uzumaki Mito - was an Uzumaki.

**Ladygoddess8:** You can see it that way, of course. The way I see it, Naruto is - willingly or not - opening a little up to Tazuna BECAUSE he isn't a part of Konohagakure. He has no previous encounters with her, nothing to judge her from, and is very likely not to see her for a while, if ever, again. Nonetheless, it shows that Naruto is beginning to open up, and that what I think is important.

And you're right; Kiba and Hinata - and Kurenai to en extent - knows Naruto much better than most. But there is still that last step for Naruto to tell them the WHOLE truth. To dare let go, and actually 'risk' herself. That moment may come sooner rather than later.

**Gruffard:** Hmm, then I did the right thing. I think, when you see TRToK!Naruto walk around with all the skills and confidence she got, you may sometimes remember that she still is human, no matter what is sealed inside her. And it's because of the burden put on her, that she has an easier time to empathize with others.

Yeah, I really hope I don't disappoint with that discussion xd. I really want it to be good and all, but I'm so damn afraid that I'm going to do it 'wrong'. I already have a general (very general) idea of how I want it to go, but there's a long way from 'general' to 'detailed story'.

It's up to you, of course :). I don't mean to 'force' or 'convert' anyone over to Twilight. I just thought I should mention it, if anyone actually WANTED to read it. No matter if anyone does or not, I am going to continue writing on it. As I said in the Author's Note, it's a good break from the Narutoverse, once in a while. Even with the vampires and shapeshifters, it's mostly about every day, teenage love, and I think that's good for me to write. And it will give me some practice with Romance :).

**Freedomsglowing hand:** Glad I'm still attracting new readers, even after the story being on this site for months now ^^.

Yeah, I have heard that a lot - not that it makes it any less special. I think her personality fits this story very well. Hell, it what's makes this story.

To be completely honest, I hadn't thought of bringing the Shirogane Clan back yet. They're currently hunted by both Iwa and Konoha ANBU. But allying with Orochimaru for the destruction of Konoha… that's a good idea. I will have to see if I can work it into my plans and ideas :) Thank you.

I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Though, I want to update my other story 'Spirit' with one chapter first, and then I need to get ready for that freakin' exam I got next week xd.

**Analyn Rockwand:** It's true that the jutsu Namikaze Minato's jutsu is named _Hiraishin_ - or flying thunder god -, but there is also another jutsu named _'Raiton: Hiraishin'_, which basically means lightning release: lightning rod. It's used by the anime-only character 'Fuuma' in Naruto Shippuuden episode 67. Though, I do see why you could confuse the two :). I have sort of the same problem with '_Suiton:_ _Mizurappa_': there's two jutsu with that name, so I have to be sure to tell which of the two is used.

**Chapter 18:** Her Worries

* * *

_"Please, shinobi-san. Do you have any food to spare for me and my siblings?" she said, holding her hands out. _

"_S-sure," the redhead smiled sadly at the girl, as she took off her bag, set it on the ground, and took out one of her sealing scrolls. She rolled it out, putting to fingers at the center at the alien-like patterns, and the other hand in half the ram-seal. "Kai!" a small bag full of shinobi rations appeared. She handed it to the girl, "Here you go. It doesn't taste very good, but… it will keep you full."_

_The girl's eyes lit up with joy, as she happily accepted the small bag. She bowed deeply – too deeply of what a child should have to do. "Thank you, shinobi-san! She turned around and ran into one of the alleys, away from prying eyes and thieves. Naruto got up and fastened the bag again. _

_"That was very kind of you" Tazuna noted_

_"Yeah… They remind me of myself when I was little…" an absent minded and truly upset Naruto responded, before starting to head out of the town. It peeked Tazuna curiosity, but he could see he wouldn't get more of an answer for now._

* * *

Kiba sighed almost heavenly as he watched his crush move across the water. He had no doubt she knew he was there, even with him sitting on top of Tazuna's house, and her being down by the water, but she didn't seem to mind. He could watch her hours on end, her training her kenjutsu while balancing on the water with chakra, while using her suiton skills to have water almost magically flying around her and attack make-believe enemies.

He took a deep breath through his nose as he mindlessly petted his snoozing partner. He had known for quite a while that he had feelings for the last known Uzumaki clan member, but it wasn't until these past few days that he had realized how completely besotted he was with her. He had loved all those small moments they had – and he loved how it all was a secret. And no, he wasn't stupid, he knew that Kurenai and Kakashi knew something was going on… and possibly also Hinata (she had an annoying ability to see everything that went on with her teammates), but he still pretended it was their little secret.

He then frowned as it had all changed a little by little the last two days. Naruto had slowly but surely secluded herself from the others, whether they be Konoha shinobi or not. She had excused herself every time anyone had started a conversation with her, or just sat by her. Her excuse was normally 'to go training'. To be honest, Kiba hadn't believed her at first, but after following her a couple of times, and saw the how much she actually trained, he knew she was telling the truth… and that something wasn't quite right. But what?

For the first time in a while Kiba sat down to really think. Really, really think. He knew Naruto better than most, even when he knew that there was a part of her that she didn't want to share yet, so he should be able to figure out what was going on. He had almost gotten a headache of all that thinking, and his sensei and teammate had been really worried about him for the few hours he used. Kurenai had even considered calling for another team to come and take over, as she was sure Kiba would need to go to a hospital. But even with all that thinking, he could not figure out what could be going on inside the head of the girl he had feelings for.

"Auf, Auf!"

Kiba sat up a little startled as Akamaru jumped from his lap and ran over to the window where Hinata was coming out. As he realized he wasn't alone anymore, he sat up a little straighter, and tried not to look at his teammate with eyes that would reveal things he was not yet ready to talk openly about.

"It's quite a sight, isn't it?" Hinata asked as she sat down on the roof, Akamaru already in her lap, begging to be petted. He might be a ninken, but he was still a puppy at heart.

Kiba glanced over at his second female teammate. "Yeah, she has gotten quite skilled with kenjutsu. I can't believe she has only had it since graduation."

Hinata gave him a look that all but said 'you got to be kidding me'. "Of course… kenjutsu," she drawled. "Of what else could I possibly be talking about?" Kiba's smiled softly at that. They had this little game: Hinata would hint at something really obvious (normally about the relationship between himself and Naruto), Kiba would act stupid, and she would agree with him… sort of. A silence spread between them before Hinata spoke again. "Do you know what's wrong with her the last couple of days?"

Kiba frowned. "Hinata, nothing is _wrong _with her."

"Oh," Hinata said as she realized how she had worded the question. "Sorry, you're right. It's just… you have noticed it too."

"Yeah, I have."

"So?" Hinata inquired. "Do you know anything about it? I've seen how you two have been around each oth-"

"No, I don't know what's going on," Kiba said almost bitterly. But it dropped from his voice in the next sentence. "Anyway, aren't you and her, like, best girl friends? You tell each other everything."

"You know she doesn't tell me everything."

"Yeah, I know she doesn't tell you – or me – about what happened at the Border. But on the other hand, I don't believe she tells _anyone_ about that. Well, probably Hokage-sama, but he is like the only family she has." He turned to look at Hinata, who wore a slightly pained expression. "But she tells you everything else… doesn't she?"

Hinata hugged Akamaru slightly tighter. Kiba didn't like this; first Naruto starts acting weird, and now Hinata. He hadn't seen the Hyuuga heiress like this in years. "She doesn't really talk to me as of late."

Kiba raised an eyebrow, "she talked to you this morning."

The lavender-eyed girl gave a faint smile at Kiba's boyish stupidity. "Yeah she talks to me, but she doesn't _talk_ to me." He still looked at her like she was crazy. She sighed. "Since the Border mission… since I told you about the Shirogane clan," Kiba growled out loud at the mention of the clan, but Hinata continued, "She hasn't really talked to me about her problems."

"…Because you told Kurenai-sensei and I about the Shirogane clan?"

"I think so," she answered with a sigh.

"That's bull. I mean, you were all but forced to do it because of the mission. And you only did it _after_ we encountered the damn_ Shirogane_," he spat out the name with venom, "even when everyone else would have told the team immediately, because of the complications it brought."

Hinata blinked a few times before a smile broke out on her face. Kiba might not be the brightest of them, but he knew how to act on missions. Sometimes he could actually sound wise. Sometimes. "I know that. And you know that. And Naruto also knows that. But…"

"But what? To be honest, it really feels like it's Naruto who're acting like an idiot – as rare as that is."

"Auf, Auf!" Akamaru agreed.

"Yeah, well Naruto isn't like most people, and you know it." Hinata let her answer hang in the air a little while before continuing. "You know better than anyone how hard of a time she has with trusting people, even with the progress she have made since graduating. So when I, whom she considers a close friend, rattled out what she told me was one of her deepest secrets, and something she held close to her heart, she felt betrayed."

Kiba was frowning again. "Still, we were on a mission, one that had taken a dangerous course… She knows what it means to be a shinobi – you can't get butt hurt on missions." That caused Hinata to stifle a laugh, which caused Kiba to give her a look. "What?"

"Oh, come one Kiba," she answered, really trying to laugh. "You know that emotions not always follow the rules. Even if Naruto knows it was necessary, and knows she shouldn't feel what she feels because we're shinobi, she can't help but feel what she feels."

"I guess you're right…"

"Dinner's ready!" it sounded from downstairs. Right away Kiba's stomach began growling uncontrolled.

"Come on," Hinata laughed getting up. "Let's get you to eat something before you alert the enemies of our position."

"Ha, ha," Kiba grumbled under a blush.

* * *

"Dinner's ready!" it sounded from inside the house. Naruto considered for a moment to just not attend, but knew that someone would be out after her. She sighed in defeat and dispelled the clones she had training with her. She only swayed on her feet for a fraction of a second this time: she had gotten better and better at handling the mental feedback. She jumped up from the water-surface to the wooden docks and slowly made her way towards the house.

She would really rather just prefer to be left alone. These last few days a fear had started growing in her chest… a fear that said that she wasn't strong enough. A fear that said that everything was _not_ going to be all right. And worse of all, it said that _It_ would rear its ugly face again. And that just couldn't happen again… That total lack of control, that total rush of power, and that total _lack_ of compassion. So she had to train so she was strong enough for it not to come out, and to do that she couldn't get distracted by anything. Or rather, anyone.

As they all were eating, Naruto didn't pay much attention, instead trying to reviewing her own training, how far she had advanced, and what her goal before going to sleep was. And that wasn't easy when _everyone_ kept glancing at him. Even the ever-so-optimistically brat kept looking at the Uzumaki heiress. It wasn't hard to ignore their glances – it was _his_ glanced that was hard to not return. They were full of concern and worry, But she couldn't afford to be distracted by anything: she was doing this for them, so they didn't have to worry about her going on a rampage again.

Tazuna stopped eating and looked up at Kakashi and Kurenai. "The Bridge is almost complete. It's thanks to you guys".

"It's great that it's going so well with The Bridge, just don't push yourself too much," Tsunami said from her own meal, smiling. The shinobi just nodded back at her, not bothering to tell her that it was going to take a lot more to burn them out.

"I do have one question, though," the old bridge builder said and put his utensils down. "Before I do, know that you have my eternal gratitude for coming here. But I still haven't figured out why? I mean, why are you still here when I lied about the details regarding the mission? I know that Kurenai-san doesn't approve at all."

"No, I do not." It came out a little harsher than intended, but it served its purpose. The old man bowed his head in shame.

Kakashi folded his hands and closed his eyes, before speaking words that clearly were of great importance to him. "_Not doing right when you know it is right is a coward's way. There are no weak soldiers under a valiant commander._" He opened his eyes again. "These are some of the teachings of the previous Hokage – the Yondaime Hokage Namikaze Minato." Kakashi didn't miss the awkward hitch in breath that came from the jinchuuriki that the blond Hokage had created. It seemed that even if she had understood, and maybe even forgiven, his actions, she still had some issues with the man.

That's when Inari spoke up. "Why…," it came quietly from him at first. The small voice caught everybody's attention. Inari stood abruptly and slammed his hand down at the table, knocking over a few empty plates. "Why, then, are you trying so hard to end up dead? You can't beat Gato's men, not in a million years, and not with all the training in the world! No matter how hard you try and try, and say all those good-looking words… Weak people are going to lose against strong people! That's just how the world works, so stop trying to make a difference!"

First no-one said anything. Then a cool aura spread from a certain girl around the table. Her teammates were surprised to see her out-right glaring at the boy. But she couldn't help it: if she had had the same mind-set that he was having, she would be dead – or worse – by now. Then you could just as well lie down, give up and die, when something didn't work your way, because everything is set in stone, and nothing can change. Many things she would let by, but no one should tell her to give up hope. Hope that the villagers wouldn't always treat her like something that exited a cow's ass and the hope for a better future.

"You know nothing about what you speak. You haven't even lived a decade on this earth, and still you preach like you know how the world works?" she said in a dangerously low voice. That silenced Inari who were on the verge of tears. He didn't know if he should retort or shit his pants in fear

"Not only that, but I bet you have lived a pretty good life up until now. You lived years before Gato came here with a family who loved and cared for you. Even now you live a relatively good life, compared to certain others. You have a mother who loves you and cooks for you. You have a grandfather that thinks the world of you, and tries to save this country, so you can live a better life. And what are your answers for them? What do you do? You cry and you mope around about how bad it is. You just don't realize how good you have it compared to other people. Have you taken your time and taken a walk through town and seen how many orphans who live on the streets? Even they are pretty content right now, because they know that somewhere in the world, there are those who have it much worse, and who survives, so why shouldn't they be able to?"

The whiskered girl stood up and walked over to Inari, backing him up towards the wall. She leaned over the boy – who was scared shitless by now – to whisper in his ear. "You have no idea what 'bad' is before you have lived my life. You don't know what it's like to receive a mark when you're only hours old, that will haunt you for the rest of your life. You don't know what it's like to grow up without parents to protect and love you. You don't know what it's like to be beaten and kicked out of shops and forced to go through garbage for food."

She walked away, Inari slumping down the wall, and the room completely silent, and everyone having heard every single word said. Naruto stopped at the door and turned to look at Inari with determination and… sadness? "You think your life is bad; fine. But don't just sit around and moan about it – then it will be much better to take your moms kitchen knife and slit your wrist. Get up and do something about it! Fight back, and don't be a coward!"

She turned around and opened the door, but was stopped by Kurenai's voice. "Naruto, where are you going?"

"Out to train," Naruto all but mumbled. Kurenai frowned and went after her, while Inari got up and stormed out the backside of the house. The remaining people just sat by the table, shocked to silence by the scene. Shocked that Naruto had acted so… not her, surprised by Inari's outburst, and surprised that Naruto had actually revealed, intentionally or not, pieces of her past.

"I knew she had a bad childhood, but I didn't imagine it to be something like that…" Kiba said lowly in disbelief. Akamaru whimpered by his side, causing the boy to pick up his partner. He looked at Hinata, "Do you know what all that about 'receiving a mark' was about? She has never mentioned anything about any mark. Have she?"

Sakura scoffed. "It's obvious that she lied. She has to. No one in Konoha lives a life that bad. She just wanted attention from…" she glanced at Sasuke. "She just wanted attention. That's all."

"Sakura," Kakashi said harshly, making the girl wince. "Naruto did _not_ lie. Everything she said was true."

"If you don't mind me asking, sensei," Shino's calculated voice sounded. "What is the whole truth?"

"You will have to ask Naruto for that. It's not my place to tell her story." What he didn't tell was that he was bound by the Village Law to not mention anything about the Kyuubi being sealed inside the Uzumaki.

Kurenai came in a minute later and looked at Kiba and Hinata. They both got the message right away, and went towards the door, followed closely by the canine member of their team. Just before they exited Kurenai's voice sounded, "She's in the forest west of here." They didn't look back to acknowledge that they had heard her; they just needed to get to Naruto.

"Have you ever…?" Hinata asked as they jumped through the small trees of the forest. Well, small compared to the enormous trees of Konoha and Hi no Kuni.

Kiba shook his head. "Never. I've never seen her act like that… Do you know of what 'mark' she talked about? How can one mark doom a person?"

"Auf!" Akamaru agreed. You could see that he clearly also was worried about the redheaded girl. After all, she was his favorite person to sleep on.

The Hyuuga heiress didn't answer right away. Her mind immediately wandered to her clan's 'bird cage' seal, and how it doomed the branch members into servitude.

The ninken-using genin seemed to realize his mistake when he saw his teammate's expression. "Shit, sorry Hinata. I had forgotten about the branch family."

"It's fine…" Hinata answered. "But no, I don't know what mark she has…"

Kiba kept looking at the pale-eyed girl. Then he said very carefully, "but you have an idea of what it could be."

"Yes," she answered simply. She wondered how much she could tell Kiba without 'betraying' Naruto again. "You know how she changed her outfit after our last C-rank mission?"

"Yeah?" Kiba said, confused by where Hinata was going with his. "She changed from that outfit from Takigakure."

Hinata nodded. "Yeah, but do you know the reason?"

"She never said anything."

"No… But you noticed how she took off from training and so on, without prior notice, and with those horrible excuses. Right?"

Kiba snickered. "Oh yeah, of course I did. They were like, _really_ bad." Akamaru made sound that could only be understood as snickering. The brown-haired boy looked up at his pale teammate, "I didn't really mention it because of… well…"

"Because of what?" Hinata asked, seeing the visible blush spreading across Kiba's cheeks.

"Well, I thought it was a girl thing."

Hinata raised her eyebrow, "A girl thing?" Even with the situation so dire, she couldn't help but be amused by Kiba's now ripe red face.

"Jeez, do I have to say it?" Kiba asked a little desperate. "I thought she had finally '_become a woman_', ya know?" he said, not really wanting to make eye contact with Hinata. "'That time of month' and all that."

Hinata smiled softly at her friend, "no it wasn't because of that." She sighed and remembered the days where she would just take off. A few of the times Hinata had had her kekkei genkai active, and she had seen markings on her friend's stomach. There was really no easy way to say this, so she decided to just to blurt it out. "I think I saw a seal on her stomach."

"Yeah, so?" Kiba asked, not understanding the gravity of the situation. "She also has those weight seals on her wrists and all. I hope she can do some on me: it would really help with my training."

"That seal is nothing like the restriction seal. It was large, almost covering her whole stomach when it was visible, and it was complex." This time Kiba didn't answer right away. And when he did, Hinata was surprised that it wasn't something _completely_ stupid. She guessed when it comes to Naruto, he actually use some of his brain cells.

"Do you think it has something to do with what happened at the border? What you saw there? I'm just thinking that all this only started _after_ those damn Shirogane attacked us up there…"

Hinata nodded, "Yeah, I do. And I think it's big. Like bigger than either you or I can imagine."

There was a bit of silence again before the boy of Team 8 spoke up again. "I think you should try and speak with her alone at first."

"Kiba, I don't know if th-"

"Just listen to me," he cut her off. "I've never really been the big talker." She gave him a look, which caused him to roll his eyes. "Yeah, I _talk_, but you know what I mean. It's always been either you or Naruto. And you gotta repair your relationship somehow."

Hinata sighed. "I'll try. Just don't be too far away."

"Oh, I don't plan to," he grinned. "I'll be close enough to hear what you're saying."

* * *

Inari was sitting on the edge of the docks, looking out over the ocean. He could see the bridge his grandfather was trying to build. He heard footsteps behind him, but didn't bother to see who it was.

"May I join you?" a male voice sounded. Inari guessed it was the Konoha jounin who had arrived a few days earlier. He shrugged.

Kakashi walked over to Inari and sat beside him. "Naruto didn't say those things out of spite, you know."

Inari didn't react, but the silver-haired jounin continued anyway.

"She is just stubborn." Still no reaction. He looked over the ocean, seeing the bridge the boy was looking at. "We heard about your father from Tazuna-san. Naruto is the same as you in that way, she didn't have a father when she was young. To be truthful, she doesn't know what it feels like to have parents. She also didn't have a single friend growing up. It's only the last few years she was told whom her mother was, and that she has befriended her teammates."

That caught Inari's attention. He looked up on the young jounin as he continued. "However, I have never seen her grow timid, get sulky, or cry. She has always wanted people to recognize her as who she is, despite how she may act. To be honest, I don't really think she cares _that_ much about it anymore; she just wants to protect the few people she has now." He now looked down on Inari with what Inari could only guess was a smile on his lips. "And she's able to put her life on the line for that dream, and she had done so. She's probably bored of crying by now."

That got Inari thinking, remembering what his father was like. "That's why she knows the true meaning of being strong. Just like your father. Naruto might be the one who understand you the most. What Naruto said to you before… Those are probably the words she's been telling herself over and over again."

Kakashi rose from where he had sat. "If anything, just don't hold a grudge against her. She wasn't trying to be mean." And with that said, he went back to the house leaving Inari to think about what he had heard.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I know! Mean cliffy no jutsu!

Sorry for the late update! I've had a lot to finish at school before the Christmas holidays. Including an exam… I swear, Examiners' can smell fear! And they used it to its fullest! I was shaking like a leaf the whole time, and when I finally entered the room, they kept asking me to breathe and take a glass of water. But I survived it, and here I am again :). I will try to update while on holiday, but no promises.

I hope you liked the chapter. I was thinking about doing the confrontation here, but decided against it (I know: Evil little me). It will definitely be in the next chapter (how could it not be?), so look forward to it! I tried to show in this chapter the thoughts that runs through Naruto's head in the days up to the fight. I know I wouldn't be able to go into a fight just like that *snaps* when my last one went so wrong. And you get to see some of Hinata and Kiba's thoughts, and something to be able to make Inari's and Naruto's relationship – I can tell you, he will make an appearance again (may be brief) again later in the story).

And I hope that I presented Kakashi better in this chapter! I didn't really mean to present him as an ass at that team spar thing.

And then I have a request. Please help me reach 300 reviews! I'm so damn close – as I write this The Red Tempest of Konoha has 278 reviews – only 22 reviews from my current goal. I don't (at least I hope I don't) review-whore a lot, but this time I'm going to do it. So, _please_, review! ;)

Well, that was really all I had to say in this Author's Note. Merry Christmas (if you celebrate that) and Happy New Year!

Until Next Time :)


	19. Her Confrontation

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**LadyUzuScarlet:** XD thanks. Yeah, I hate to admit it, but when I get more reviews, I get more inspiration, and thus write more. I'm really glad you like it. I try my best to make it unique, but still something people are able to relate to and recognize.

Yeah, it's going to be epic-length. I actually thought about only writing it from the Shippuuden arcs, but I felt like you missed the whole backstory. So I did a compromise: only one original arc (even if it wasn't completely original) in the first part of the series, and then have the rest of the originals in Shippuuden.

Naruto will get... stronger. I can tell you she will fight Neji in the finals, and I have a 'rough draft' of the fight: it's going to be awesome.

When I'm done with the wave arc, there really is 'only' the chunin exams( including the attack on Konoha), retrieve Tsunade arc, and the last arc. So I can actually taste Shippuuden!

If you mean if I will have chunin exams after wave? yes. I will (try) to follow canon timeline till Shippuuden, apart from Sasuke retrieval arc. He will run off, and people will go after him, but Naruto (not necessarily with Team 8) will be off on a mission (it will probably be a movie I write into the story).

**Artfrogy:** Thank you for pointing that out to me, but another time please specify where the mistake is. I can't really go through 5.5-7k words to find the one that is a mistake. Just give me a rough idea of where it is, and I'll correct as fast as I can. Else, I rather just keep on writing the updates ;).

**Roboguy45:** You know, sometimes I get a little scared of you xd.

I honestly do like Sakura, but here in the start of the series she was a real b*tch. She will get better as the story progress and she gains respect for Naruto. It might be a bit slower than in canon, since she doesn't have Naruto on her team, but she WILL get better. And I hope you'll be able to tolerate her xd.

**Gruffard:** Well, I thought it was mean, with me practically saying that it was this chapter the confrontation would be in and all. And yeah, there is more than one kind of cliffy ;).

Yeah, I have been building it up for a while. It isn't something that she can just blurt out in the conversation. And it won't be easy for her to tell it. But after she has done it, I think a great burden will be lifted from her shoulders, as she is able to talk to her friends about ALL her problems. I just hope I do it well. I'm nervous as hell for people's reaction, since I haven't really done anything quite like this before.

Haku will be showing, but (at least for now (if he/she survives)) won't be playing a large role in the story. After all, in canon he was there to teach Naruto his Nindo, while TRToK!Naruto pretty much have that covered.

**Soutrick:** Glad you liked the chapter.

While it may not be instantaneous that she completely forgives Hinata, she will slowly begin to confide in the Hyuuga again. Naruto really can't afford to lose one of her best friends, and especially not one as good as Hinata.

**Chapter 19:** Her Confrontation

* * *

_"She is just stubborn." Still no reaction. He looked over the ocean, seeing the bridge the boy was looking at. "We heard about your father from Tazuna-san. Naruto is the same as you in that way, she didn't have a father when she was young. To be truthful, she doesn't know what it feels like to have parents. She also didn't have a single friend growing up. It's only the last few years she was told whom her mother was, and that she has befriended her teammates." _

_That caught Inari's attention. He looked up on the young jounin as he continued. "However, I have never seen her grow timid, get sulky, or cry. She has always wanted people to recognize her as who she is, despite how she may act. To be honest, I don't really think she cares that much about it anymore; she just wants to protect the few people she has now." He now looked down on Inari with what Inari could only guess was a smile on his lips. "And she's able to put her life on the line for that dream, and she had done so. She's probably bored of crying by now."_

_That got Inari thinking, remembering what his father was like. "That's why she knows the true meaning of being strong. Just like your father. Naruto might be the one who understand you the most. What Naruto said to you before… Those are probably the words she's been telling herself over and over again."_

_Kakashi rose from where he had sat. "If anything, just don't hold a grudge against her. She wasn't trying to be mean." And with that said, he went back to the house leaving Inari to think about what he had heard._

* * *

Yeah ok; she may have overreacted just the slightest bit. Or a lot. But she just couldn't stand when people just gave up hope like that – and she definitely didn't like it when people told _her_ to give up hope. She wasn't going to give up. Ever. But maybe – just maybe! – she could've had handled it better back there. He was after all just a child, not to say a civilian, and she was the shinobi. And what kind of shinobi was she, when she couldn't keep her personal feelings in check, even with the mental state she was in now? She huffed.

She was currently training – big surprise there. It was really the only thing she could do to take her mind off of the upcoming battle, ironically enough. She looked around in the area she was in: she had already made a number of the surrounding forest. There was a complete lack of trees… replaced by craters of varying sizes, some of them filled with water, some of them not.

Naruto felt them approaching before seeing or hearing them. She could tell that it was Hinata, Kiba and Akamaru just judging from their chakra – she had spent enough time with them to be able to recognize their chakra just as well as she could recognize their looks. She couldn't help but think how helpful her 'new' chakra sensibility was going to be in the fight against Zabuza: according to Kakashi and Team 7, Zabuza used _Kirigakure no Jutsu_ to cut off his targets vision. What's worse was that he could move so silently that even Kakashi couldn't hear him. But that wouldn't help him against Team 8: Naruto would be able to sense him coming, Hinata would be able to see through the mists with her Byakugan, and Kiba and Akamaru would be able smell him coming.

But that really didn't matter now. She _really_ didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment – and much less the people closest to her. They shouldn't see this side of her. And it was not like she could just tell them why she was as worried as she was: That she was worried that something should happen in the upcoming fight that would bring forth the Kyuubi's chakra, and that she would hurt anyone because of it. She didn't care if it meant friend or foe: no-one should've experienced a death like the one she gave to the Shirogane clan member at the Borderlands. Not even a Shirogane.

A light frown spread across Naruto's face when she felt her crush and his ninken partner slow to a halt, while Hinata continued forward towards her. She didn't really talk well with Hinata these days. Sure, she was still one of her best friends, and Naruto would give her life for the pale-eyed girl, but something had changed in their relationship. Before the Borderlands Naruto might've told Hinata what was wrong – if she asked that is. But now? These days – especially the last few – she actually talked better to Kiba. Anyway, she wouldn't stop her from taking out her anger and frustration on the forest. After all, there were only a few large trees' left in this area. No point in leaving a job undone.

When Hinata reached where Naruto was training, she had to stop a moment to take in the scenery. She knew Naruto was strong, but still… this was something else.

"Ano, Naruto-chan… What are you doing?" Hinata asked after finally having overcome her surprise. The Uzumaki heiress only sparred a second to glance at her friend.

"Redecorating. I thought it looked a little bland out here," it came wryly from the redhead, her voice seeped in sarcasm. Hinata frowned; this was not at all like Naruto. "Hinata, I really don't want to talk about it right now. So just… just go away."

Hinata ignored the request, instead slowly walking over to one of the toppled over trees, using it as a bench. For a few minutes, she just watched as her distraught teammate decimated and 'redecorated' the area. She really didn't know who to approach this subject…

"Naruto… about what happened back at Tazuna-san's-"

"I know I overreacted. I'll apologize to him when I get back. I'll just let him tell everyone that to hope is useless. Just to give up." As she said it, her punches and kick got stronger, fueled by the anger she felt for what Inari had said. And it didn't go unnoticed by Hinata or the 'hidden' Kiba.

Hinata watched as another tree fell before Naruto. "It really isn't like you, you know."

"What isn't like me?" the Uzumaki heiress asked getting impatient with Hinata. She had gone out here to be _alone_. Not to chatter away.

"This," Hinata said, motioning her hand towards the new clearing. "And to overreact."

"Well, I guess I'm just not myself these days," Naruto wryly responded at her friend.

Hinata raised her eyebrow. "Apparently not." Finally, Naruto stopped what she was doing, and looked straight at Hinata for the first time in the clearing. But without really looking, Hinata noticed. She was putting that façade up again. The same one she had used when they had first been told they were going to the border near Iwa.

"You're doing it again." Hinata knew that her friend would know what she was walking about.

"Doing what, exactly?" Naruto sighed. "You know what, Hinata. Can't you just… leave," the sapphire-eyed girl asked, tiredly. "Just leave me alone. I need to be _alone_."

"No."

Naruto's eyebrows' furrowed even deeper. She didn't want to be towards her friend, but she didn't want to talk either. Naruto sighed, "Fine. Then I'll go."

Hinata stepped in front of her. "No you won't. You won't leave until you tell me what's going on." As Naruto just starred at her, instead of talking, she grew a little desperate. "Come on Naruto-chan! Why aren't you talking to me? We used to tell each other when something was wrong."

The redheads eyes lit up for just a second, "'used to' being the keyword in that sentence"

Hinata froze. "Is it still about what happened at the Borderlands?" Naruto didn't answer, but wouldn't meet the pale and accusing eyes in front of her. "So it is?"

"What if is?" Naruto shot back at her teammate.

Then Hinata did something very un-Hinata-like. She threw her hands up in the air, before going through her hair. "For crying out loud, Naruto! We were on a mission! A mission you almost blew, because of your clan's history, and your personal history, with that damned Shirogane clan!"

"You still had no right to tell Kiba and Kurenai-sensei about that! _I_ confided in _you_! _I_ trusted_ you_! And _you_ betrayed _me_ without a second thought! I told you one of my deepest secrets, and you told them to them as soon as you could!" Both kunoichi of Team 8 were now shouting at each other. Loudly. Naruto couldn't help but think what a good thing it was that they were so far away from any kind of civilization.

Hinata took a deep calming breath, knowing how loudly she had shouted. She snorted mentally: her father would have a fit if he had seen her act that way. But right now she didn't give him a second thought: this was about Naruto and herself. There was no time to act like the high and mighty Hyuuga heiress that her father expected her to be.

"Naruto-chan, please try to understand," Hinata all but pleaded. "I _had_ to tell them. I have a responsibility as a Konoha shinobi to tell our squad leader _any_ and _all_ things that may interfere with the mission. And the way you acted – not that I blame you in any way – was interfering with the mission. And I, as the only other member than you, had knowledge why you acted so… _irresponsible. _So _unlike_ you."

"I _know_ that!" Naruto answered in a hiss. Of course she knew that! She had known it all along. But that didn't help her feelings. Her feelings told her she was betrayed. Her feelings told her that her best friend had made her look weak. And that wasn't something she could afford to look like. She had learned that a long time ago: the strong survive. At least when it comes to being the last know member of the Uzumaki clan, not to say the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. There are more than a few who wants your head on a silver platter.

"But, Hinata, if you tell my secrets 'for the good of the mission', how can I trust you!?"

"I-I…"

"That's right." Naruto looked away from those desperate, all-seeing eyes, not wanting her friend to see the pain she was feeling.

Hinata felt anger swell up in her again. How could Naruto be like this? They had been there for each other for years! She loved her redheaded friend, but this was just _stupid_. How could Naruto throw everything she had with her away, just because she told Kurenai and Kiba? She was about to say just that, when someone else did it for her.

"Naruto, that's just plain stupid. You know Hinata didn't tell to hurt you. To be frank, I don't know why you kept it from me and Kurenai-sensei in the first place," it came from Kiba. Hinata berated herself: she hadn't even sensed him coming closer. Guess he decided that he had stayed out of it long enough.

"Whimper, whimper…" Akamaru slowly walked closer, intending to calm her down with his charm. It was clear he agreed with Hinata and his partner. But Naruto would have none of it, and took a step back.

The Uzumaki turned her glare at her crush. "You don't have to _get_ why I kept it from you. The fact is that I have my own reasons, and it was _not_ Hinata's place to tell it."

"Were _you_ going to tell us why you suddenly freaked out on a shinobi from Iwa? Were _you_ going to tell us why you jeopardized a mission with such a delicate nature?" Kiba asked, his voice rising, showing how much he felt about this particular subject. Naruto just avoided direct eye-contact, suddenly finding one of the loose stones on the earth very interesting. "I didn't think so."

"Well, I'm _so_ happy we straightened that out," Naruto shot at them before turning around, heading.

Then Kiba felt anger built deep inside him, both directed at the girl who was storming away, and at himself. Her for acting this way in the first place, and himself for not being able to figure.

"Seriously, Naruto!" he shouted before he could stop himself. "I hope that whatever happened to you at that border that you soon get over it! It's getting real old with you acting like this, and not telling us a thing! Why don't you just come tell us when that happens, huh? Spare us all the trouble and time of trying to make us tell you!"

Naruto froze where she stood, and both Hinata and Kiba felt the temperature drop a few degrees. Slowly Naruto turned and looked straight at them, and talked to them in a voice so low that they almost couldn't hear it – even with their shinobi-enhanced sensed.

"Believe me, if I could 'get over it' I would. But the fact is that I won't be free of this thing before the day I die. And I'm not even sure I'm going to be free of it then." Slowly she started buttoning her Chinese-style shirt up, whereafter she pulled her fishnet shirt up, leaving her stomach bare. She channeled chakra through her stomach, and soon enough a large seal appeared. Hinata was wide-eyed: this was even more complex than she had thought. True, she had no idea what to look for in a seal – she wasn't of the Uzumaki after all – but this… This was clearly done by one of Konoha's former Seal Masters.

"Naruto…" Kiba whispered.

"You know the date of my birth, right?" the redheaded Uzumaki heiress asked, now acting like they were talking about facts. Hinata frowned: this was bad. If Naruto _had_ to revert to this stage to talk about it, then it was _really_ bad.

"Of course!" Kiba said harshly, like he had been offended greatly.

"Auf!" Akamaru supplied.

"It's the tenth of October," he answered.

"Right," the Uzumaki said, not paying attention to her teammates tone. "Do you know anything else about that day?"

"It's the anniversary for the defeat of the Kyuubi by the hands of Yondaime Hokage-sama," Hinata answered her friend. An idea began to form, as for where Naruto was going with these questions. She just really hoped she was wrong.

Naruto nodded. "That's right. I was born not minutes before the Kyuubi attacked Konoha. Both my parents died in the attack."

"As did many others…" Kiba said solemnly as he was thinking of his father. He hadn't actually been killed by the Kyuubi, but by one of the bandit raids that followed the weakening of Konoha.

Naruto, however, misunderstood it. "I know that!" she snapped. "God knows that I know how many died in that attack." She paused. "You know about my birthday, and you know that it was the day that Kyuubi attacked. Then tell me, what do you know about bijuu? And jinchuuriki?"

Kiba frowned, "Bijuu? Jinchuuriki? What the hell is that?"

Hinata's eyes went wide. "Jinchuuriki. That means power of a human sacrifice. It's the name given to…"

"given to the people which are used to seal the bijuu with," Naruto finished grimly.

"But I thought the Yondaime _killed_ the Kyuubi!" Kiba yelled.

"Bijuu are made of chakra – of pure energy," the redhead said almost mockingly. Kiba and Hinata wasn't sure who she was mocking; herself maybe? The universe? But they knew it wasn't them she was mocking. As much as she wasn't herself, she never wanted to hurt your friends. Naruto continued talking, never noticing what her friends was thinking. "You can't kill energy: you can let it run its course, which wasn't an option at the moment, or you can contain and manage it. And since it's pretty hard to manage, you gotta contain it… The story of Yondaime Hokage-sama killing the Kyuubi is the official story; a story for the other Hidden Villages and the younger generation of Konohagakure."

"What are you saying?" Kiba asked, not wanting to believe what he was hearing. If he was to believe it, she needed to tell him. He needed _her_ to say it, through her own mouth.

She sighed. "I am the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. Yondaime-sama sealed the Kyuubi inside me to stop it from rampaging. And all that happened before I even had had my first meal."

A silence spread through the clearing, Naruto waiting on their reaction, Kiba and Hinata processing the information. Finally Hinata asked a question. It was so simple, yet so complicated.

"Why you?"

"Because I'm me. I'm an Uzumaki – the last known one. My mother was the previous jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. Something went wrong with containing the Kyuubi while she was giving birth to me…" Naruto took a deep breath to settle her swirling emotions as she thought of her mother's death. She opened her eyes again, them brimming with emotion. "Not anything or anyone can contain the strongest of the bijuu. My clan is one of the few 'things' that can contain the Kyuubi because of our chakra. And since no other Uzumaki were present at the night of the Kyuubi's attack, it was really a no-brainer."

"So, what happened at the border? Was that the Kyuubi?" Kiba asked carefully.

The whiskered girl closed her eyes, as the memories of the moment washed over her mind. "That was but a fraction of the Kyuubi's power. I inadvertently drew on its chakra when I thought you had died." She opened her eyes and looked at them with sadness in her eyes, "So now you know. Now you know everything that's worth to know about me. I was born and was made a living weapon – a power stabilizer between the Hidden Villages. That's why the older generations hate me, and why the younger generations won't have anything to do with me. And don't worry; you won't have to say anything. Just bare with me for this mission, and I'll ask for transfer to another team when we get back to Konoha." With that she took off before either of her teammates could say anything – this time back towards their charge's house.

Kiba fell on his ass, his legs not being able to carry him after the information overload he had just gotten. Naruto, the girl he dreamed about, had the Kyuubi sealed inside her. Naruto, the girl he had feelings for, had had her life taken away from her when she was less than a day old. By the so-called 'hero' of Konoha, nonetheless. And that was why all the adults looked at her with _those_ eyes. And he didn't care about any of that. But, Kami was he mad at the village right now. Here this girl had all but saved their asses by giving her life up – willingly or not – as a living prison, and they treated her like crap. She was saving them every day by holding that monster at bay.

"Had you any…" The Inuzuka heir asked quietly.

Hinata, who was just as chocked, simple shook her head. No, she had had _no_ idea it was anything like this. She had thought it was maybe a curse of the Uzumaki clan, like the bird-cage seal of her own clan, but this… No, she hadn't seen it coming.

"That's why she was mad at me for telling," Hinata realized as she sat down beside Kiba. Akamaru quickly jumped between the two, also needing comforting.

Kiba's brown eyes finally focused, and turned to look at the dark-haired girl. "Why?"

"Because if I told a small secret like her clan-history to you two so easily, then what would it take for me to tell this secret. It's probably one of Konoha's best kept secrets. For now, anyway." She closed her eyes, "I never imagined it be anything like… It's overwhelming."

"Imagine what it's like for her…"

"She said she would ask to be transferred to another team."

Hinata jumped in surprise when Kiba growled at her. "Don't you say that. Don't you _dare_ say that! Naruto has done _nothing_ to deserve any of this, so if you're even suggesting that-"

"No!" Hinata exclaimed, horrified at what she had said had sounded like. "No, that wasn't what I meant. We need to talk to her." She laughed a little desperate, "I have no idea what we're going to say to her, but we need to talk."

* * *

"_Damn it_."

Naruto furiously tore the tears off her cheeks. This was it. They had learned what she had kept from them for years. Soon enough they would be like the rest of the village, resenting her for killing _some_ relative, resenting her for just being _alive_. Guess she just had to get used to be alone. They might not be able to tell the others of her year without breaking Konohan law, but they sure as hell could avoid her like the pest – which would spread to the others. So the last few weeks – if it even was that long – she was in Nami no Kuni was probably the last she was going to see them.

She shivered lightly as the cold wind from the ocean hit the spot she was sitting. It was the same place she and Kiba had talked _that night_… it had become her 'thinking spot' much in the same place the top of the Yondaime's head-carving was back home in Konoha. She could feel Kiba and Hinata nearing the house: they were probably going to talk to Kurenai about them spending as little time with me as possible, until she could officially request that team transfer.

She heard movement behind her and all but jumped in surprise. It seemed like her abilities to sense chakra was bound to her emotions – the more in turmoil she was, so was her ability to sense others. Her face calmed as she it was just her sensei.

"Naruto?" the red-eyed jounin asked.

"I did it."

"Did what?" Kurenai asked as she approached.

Naruto shot her a glare. "I did what you said I should, and now they hate me."

- Flashback to Earlier That Evening -

_"Out to train," Naruto all but mumbled. Kurenai frowned and went after her, while Inari got up and stormed out the backside of the house. Kurenai caught up to Naruto soon enough, the redhead not having walked out of sight of Tazuna's house yet._

"_Naruto! What the hell got into you?" Naruto stopped to look at her teacher. "You do NOT talk to a client that way – no matter what you think of them!"_

"_You didn't seem to have a problem with Tazuna back when we arrived here!" the Uzumaki heiress retorted._

_Kurenai's eyes narrowed dangerously. No, she was not a harsh sensei, but as a teacher, she required some respect. "That was a totally different situation. Tazuna had put Konoha GENIN in danger by LYING to Hokage-sama's face about the details of the mission. What you did in there was NOT how Konoha shinobi are supposed to act. What you did in there was put a kid down who has lost hope."_

_Not in the mood to admit she was wrong, Naruto's eyes flashed. "Inari hasn't 'lost' hope. He has given it up, thrown it in the ocean, and watched it die. What's worse, he tried killing the hopes of everyone else. No matter who says that, no matter if it's a client, a fellow shinobi, a freaking council member, I will NOT stand idly by. You threw away your own hope; fine. But you do NOT have ANY right to kill the hopes of others!"_

_The dark-haired woman's eyes softened. Truer words were never said. And Naruto must know a great deal about hope, the lack thereof, and the ability to lose it. Still…_

"_You still could've handled it better in there. You said it yourself: Inari hasn't lived a decade on this earth – he is just a child."_

"_**I**__ was just a child!" Naruto yelled back at her teacher._

_Kurenai smiled sadly at her student, taking the last few steps there was between them, and hugged her. This wasn't something she would do to just any student, but then again… Naruto was all but normal, both skill-wise and concerning her past. And she wasn't sure the proud girl would __**let**__ her hug her, but there wasn't any struggle. She actually seemed to relax just the slightest bit. _

"_Yes you were. And it's not fair," the jounin-sensei of Team 8 finally answered. She released the whiskered girl, keeping her hands on her shoulders and looked straight in her eyes. "But, you have chosen to become a shinobi of Konoha. You are representing Konoha whenever you are on duty, so we can't have you going off like that whenever something from your past is brought up – voluntarily or not."_

_Naruto's head dropped slightly in shame. "I know that," it came quietly from her lips. "But… The way he was talking. It really hit home, you know? If __**I**__ had had that mindset when I was growing up, if __**I**__ had given up on hope like that, I'm not sure I would be here today. I'm not even sure if I would be alive. And it's hard not having anyone to talk to about it."_

"_You know you can always talk to me. And I'm pretty sure Sarutobi-sama's door will always be open to you."_

_Naruto smiled at the mention of her grandfather-figure. "Yeah I know, but… You are my teacher, and even if Jiji is the closest thing I have to family, he still has to think of the village first." She paused. "It's hard to talk to him about it. He doesn't know what to say – Hell, I'm not sure __**anyone**__ knows what to say to a jinchuuriki – but it's especially hard for him. He has his priorities as the leader of the village. And I respect that."_

_There was a silence before Kurenai answered. "You could tell your teammates."_

_Naruto scoffed. "Yeah, __**that**__ would be a hell of a conversation. I don't even want to think of their reactions. But how do you even bring something like that up? 'Hey guys, I learned that new ninjutsu I was working on, how about you? Oh, and by the way, I have the Kyuubi no Yoko sealed inside my stomach. You know, the one who destroyed large parts of Konoha, and killed many of your clansmen.' Yeah, __**that**__ will go well." She shook her head. "No, I just need to be alone for a while. I'll be back in a few hours."_

- Flashback End -

"What exactly did they say?" Kurenai asked.

"_Nothing_. They said _nothing_. They just stood there and stared at me." Naruto felt another surge of tears, and fought her hardest to keep them at bay. "I told them I would ask Hokage-sama for a team transfer when this mission is over."

"You will do no such thing!" Kurenai said harshly.

Naruto shot her teacher another glare. "No offense, sensei, but that's none of your god-damn business!" She took a calming breath. "I don't blame them though. Who would want to be on _that girl_'s team when they know her secret?"

"Why don't you leave that up to us?" Kiba asked. Again, Naruto jumped in surprise. Both Hinata and Kiba stood behind her, beside Kurenai, and they did not look happy. Kurenai gave them one look, before she went back inside. This was not something she needed to be present for; it was something between friends.

'_Great,'_ Naruto thought. '_Here it comes. All the blames and name-calling and 'You should just go and dig your own grave'._

"How dare you think so lowly of us!?" Kiba shouted. "You really think we would just let our friend transfer away from our team!? You really think that we would just give up on you because you have a past!?"

"You didn't even wait for us to answer!" Hinata continued, also shouting. Yes; Hinata was _shouting_. "Maybe we could've handled the information better, but you can't expect us to answer you right away after dropping such information on us. I mean, come on! We just got told that our best friend has been damned from the day she was born! I am ashamed over my clan and my village for treating you like they do, when you should be treated like a hero!"

Naruto sat wide-eyed at the roof. This was _not_ what she was expecting. "But… The Kyuubi killed your families, your clansmen. Hell, it's even cause for your fathers dead, Kiba! And it's inside me, this very second! And it's no guarantee that it's going to stay there: you saw what happened at the Borderlands. You saw what it can do to me."

Kiba lifted his chin. "My father died protecting Konoha from bandits, not the Kyuubi. And even if he did die by the Kyuubi's hands, _you_ are not the Kyuubi."

"Auf, auf!" Akamaru agreed forcefully, finally coming forward from its hiding-place behind Kiba. He ran over, and jumped into his favorite lap, and began licking his warm pillow furiously, trying to tell that everything was going to be all right.

"Seriously, if we were going to leave you, don't you think we would have done it already?" Kiba asked with a grin. "Like when I found out how hard you could hit me, every time I bothered you back at the Academy?"

"Or," Hinata said smiling at the memories, "when I heard everything you said you were going to do to the boys that kept asking you out."

"Or one of the times you tried to shot us out."

"All right, all right! I get it," Naruto said with a careful smile. "You really know how to get a girl to feel better about herself, you know?"

Kiba smiled at her, "it worked, didn't it?"

The whiskered girl sighed. "It did." She looked both her friends straight in the eyes, both of them being chocked at the insecurity in them. "So, you are really ok with this?"

"On one condition," Hinata said. Naruto froze, thinking of all the things the pale-eyed girl could ask of her, but relaxed when she saw her friend's friendly smile. "No more secrets, ok?"

Kiba nodded in agreement. "Yeah, if anything's up, just talk to us. I promise, I won't run away screaming."

"Me neither," the Hyuuga heiress said.

"Auf!"

All the tears Naruto had tried to hold back through the years, came rushing back. She couldn't believe it; she really had true friends in Kiba and Hinata. And she would protect them: they were _her_ people. She jumped from her seat, rushed over to them, and hugged them with tears of happiness running down her already wet cheeks. There was only one word she could say, though it could never come close to describing what she really felt at that moment.

"Thank you."

* * *

**Author's Note:** And it's _finally_ done. Sorry it took so long to get it out there, but I can honestly say that this has been one of the hardest, if not the hardest, chapter I have written in _any_ of my stories. I got so many writers blocks that I can't count them, so many times I've had to rewrite what I wrote, because I wasn't happy with it. Even now I'm not completely sure how you guys will react. I think either you will love it or hate it… And a large portion will probably go for the latter. But it's the best I can do at my current skill-level. _Please_ review, PM, or contact me in a third way to tell me what I did well, and not so well in this chapter. It's really something I need to; I want to learn as much as I can from this chapter, as I've never really written something quite like this before. Hopefully, if I ever need to write such a chapter or scene again, I will have learned a ton more, and will do it better.

Now that that's over, I want to thank everyone who reviewed after my request last chapter. Some even went as far as reviewing on previous chapters they hadn't! I'm truly honored :). And it worked! As I'm writing this, The Red Tempest of Konoha has reached 308 reviews. It's really mind-blowing for me: people are not only reading something I'm writing, but favorite-ing, following, _and_ reviewing the story. Hell, I even get PM's which begs me to update soon if it is more than ten days since I updated xd.

Back to the chapter: Some may say that Kiba was a little out of character (at least when it comes to Naruto) when he shouts after her when she's leaving. Well; I don't think so. He is really frustrated. His feelings for the girl has only grown on this mission, with all those moments they have had, so it's really hard for him to sit by and see her beat herself up, and be so _not_ her. So that's why I did it.

Then to something other than the chapter: school started again, so bear that in mind if I don't update. If there are longer periods of time where I simply can't find the time or inspiration to write anything, I'll let you guys know with an Author's Note. But I won't abandon the story: I truly love it, and can't wait to show you where I want this to go. I guess what I'm trying to say is… hang in there if I can't update as much as I (and I guess you) want. I'll be back. Not that I'm plan to go anywhere right now.

The next chapter will (finally) be about the battle of the bridge. You may have noticed that I haven't brought Haku into the story, and there's a reason for that. In canon Haku was there to teach Naruto his Nindo, but in The Red Tempest of Konoha she already has that. That doesn't mean I will kill off Haku. Doesn't mean I won't either. You will have to keep reading for that.

I'm not sure if I should have the battle of the bridge in multiple chapters (I'm sure it's going to be that long), or just in one large chapter. There are both pluses and minuses with both: the shorter chapters are – in my opinion – more manageable, and you will get parts of the battle faster. On the other hand, you will have to wait on the next parts. The larger chapter you will get it all in one go, and won't have to wait. Tell me what you think, and I will take that into consideration. Bear in mind that it's still my decision which is final, no matter what the majority says.

Well, that's really all I have to say for this time.

Until next time :)


	20. Her Preperations

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Crazydoglover:** I'm glad it turned out as well as it did. And yeah, I know sometimes it could've been better, but as I said, I also had real trouble writing this chapter. It is the hardest chapter I've ever written, and sometimes I just didn't know how to get from one point to another.

I am, however, very pleased with the Kurenai/Naruto interaction. I've forgotten them a bit.

I will try to pull some more fluff into the story, now that both Naruto and Kiba have gotten more aware of their feelings towards each other, and there might even be a date, but there won't be, like, 'romance' before they're older - Shippuuden.

**D-Gragoon1212:** About Haku... you will just have to keep reading :).

Glad you liked the chapter. And yeah, Naruto won't be all 'mystical and annoying'. Now that she has someone to share with, she will have it easier. Well, as easy as a jinchuuriki kunoichi can have it, anyway :).

**Gruffard:** Glad you liked it. I've been pretty worried with how you, my readers, would react to the chapter. Especially with all 'the annoying buildup'. But from what I can see, you are all pretty satisfied with the chapter :).

Yeah, I was halfway through the chapter when I started thinking: 'Why would Naruto just drop the Kyuubi bomb? Even if Kiba taunted her.' And I couldn't just go back in time to write the Kurenai scene into chapter 18, so I decided for a flashback. It worked out well in my opinion.

I want to write more Kurenai/Naruto scenes. Right now Kurenai is more of a teacher, but I can imagine her becoming more of a big-sister figure as Naruto progresses, gets older, and moves on to become Jiraiya's student.

I can imagine there would be a few mistakes. As you said, this was by far my hardest chapter I've written, and I was really nervous when writing it.

**Chapter 20:** Her Preparations

* * *

"_Seriously, if we were going to leave you, don't you think we would have done it already?" Kiba asked with a grin. "Like when I found out how hard you could hit me, every time I bothered you back at the Academy?"_

"_Or," Hinata said smiling at the memories, "when I heard everything you said you were going to do to the boys that kept asking you out."_

"_Or one of the times you tried to shot us out."_

"_All right, all right! I get it," Naruto said with a careful smile. "You really know how to get a girl to feel better about herself, you know?"_

_Kiba smiled at her, "it worked, didn't it?"_

_The whiskered girl sighed. "It did." She looked both her friends straight in the eyes, both of them being chocked at the insecurity in them. "So, you are really ok with this?"_

"_On one condition," Hinata said. Naruto froze, thinking of all the things the pale-eyed girl could ask of her, but relaxed when she saw her friend's friendly smile. "No more secrets, ok?"_

_Kiba nodded in agreement. "Yeah, if anything's up, just talk to us. I promise, I won't run away screaming."_

"_Me neither," the Hyuuga heiress said._

"_Auf!"_

_All the tears Naruto had tried to hold back through the years, came rushing back. She couldn't believe it; she really had true friends in Kiba and Hinata. And she would protect them: they were her people. She jumped from her seat, rushed over to them, and hugged them with tears of happiness running down her already wet cheeks. There was only one word she could say, though it could never come close to describing what she really felt at that moment._

"_Thank you."_

* * *

Kakashi looked up from his conversation with Kurenai, to the people around the kitchen table. People were doing pretty much the same thing they had done before Naruto had turned weird. Now that she was back, it was as if nothing had changed. But things had changed; for Naruto _everything _had changed. She had people she could truly trust, and she wouldn't trade that away for the world.

Kiba, Hinata and Shino were chatting away, having gotten to know each other better over the cause of the mission. Naruto could swear she had even seen the ever-stoic Aburame's lips twitch in a smile once in a while.

Sakura was talking about things that didn't matter with Tazuna; Naruto may not think she was fit to be a kunoichi, but at least the girl knew when to talk small talk. The redhead had no doubt in her mind that Sakura was doing it to make it easier for Tazuna, not to think of what could happen when Zabuza and his mysterious partner appeared.

Sasuke was his usual brooding self. But he seemed more tense than usual. Not that Naruto could blame the Uchiha heir: she herself was feeling mighty nervous for the upcoming fight, and all the possible outcomes. But every time she had started tensing up, somehow her teammates would know. Either Kiba would brush or hold her hand for just a second under the table while giving her a grin, or Hinata would smile confidently at her and give her a nod as to say 'we can and _will_ do this'. As that happened Naruto felt the worry flow out of her, and certainty take its place: of course they were doing this. They were _Team 8_.

Naruto knew that the small acts wouldn't have calmed her down three days ago, before the revelation of her being the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. It was as if they now knew the _whole_ her, and could see her for all that she was. And still they didn't run away screaming, or turned to fight her every step of her way. They _stayed_ and _helped_ her. And Naruto felt it; she felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Sure, she still felt the constant pressure of being _her_, but it was easier now. She knew she could tell Kiba and Hinata everything. It didn't matter if it was a girl, shinobi, or jinchuuriki problem; she could tell them. They might not always understand the last problem, but they sure as hell had tried the last few days, as Naruto had told them about the aspect of her life, she had previously kept from them.

The Uzumaki heiress suspected that her Uchiha counterpart suspected that something has changed the dynamic of Team 8. She might not like the guy, but she acknowledged his skills as a shinobi – and that included the ability to just observe. Of course, she would rather eat her right arm before she said that out loud. He had been looking at the whiskered girl and her teammates for the better part of the morning, and Naruto didn't doubt that he had seen some of the interaction between them. And as he had seen them, Naruto had seen him relax more; she guessed it helped him that he wasn't the only skilled shinobi who wasn't too thrilled about fighting skilled missing-nin.

What surprised Naruto the most was Inari's turnaround. He was actually in the kitchen with _people_. And he was chatting. With her. He didn't say anything particular; he just talked about his life, how he felt, and – surprisingly – how he hoped that the Konoha-nin would 'kick Gato's ass so hard out of Nami no Kuni, that he couldn't answer Nature's Call for quite a while'. Kiba had snickered at the comment, as Tsunami scolded the eight-year-old for his language. Naruto could see she didn't mind at all; she had smile on her face the whole time. She was probably just thrilled that Inari was coming out of his shell and depression. Though not quite, because as Sakura, Hinata, or Shino asked him questions, he would look down at the table and fidget with his zipper. What made Naruto different she didn't know. Neither did she mind. It was funny how she had yelled at him days ago about being an ass for not appreciate what he had, yet now she enjoyed his carefree banter.

Kurenai and Kakashi was sitting a bit secluded from the rest of the people, the genin and civilians giving them the space they needed to discuss things for the upcoming fight. The atmosphere around the table, even with the chatter going around, was somber. They all knew what was likely to happen today, and as much as they prayed it didn't happen, they knew it was a possibility that some of them may not be around twenty-four hours from now.

After an hour in the kitchen, it seemed as if the two jounin-sensei had finally agreed on something, as they looked up from the table they had written, pointed at, re-written, and scored out on. Kakashi cleared his throat to get attention. It was all there was needed, as everyone stopped talking, and looked at him.

"We all know what is likely to happen today, but we haven't actually discussed how to execute this." Kakashi looked around at all the genin and the civilians. He looked at Tazuna. "We of course need people around you Tazuna-san, but we also need to protect your family, namely you, Inari-san and Tsunami-san," he said, looking in turn at Inari and Tsunami. "Since you can't go to the bridge for obvious reasons, we need to leave someone behind to take guard you."

The civilians in the room wore rather worried looks on their faces, but calmed somewhat down as they saw the determined expression of every shinobi in the room. Especially Naruto – it was as if she had to prove something, as if she _really_ had something to fight for here. Inari was still fidgeting, so Naruto put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Naruto smile kindly at him, and he calmed. Even as he looked away, she kept looking at the small boy. '_I have to make sure this mission a success. This isn't about me or my fears; it's about the people of Nami no Kuni. It's about freeing them, along with Inari and his family. They are all counting on us, even if they don't know it,_' she thought to herself. '_We can't fail them. I can't fail them._'

"We've discussed who would be better suited here, and who would be better suited at the bridge," Kurenai said taking over from Kakashi, referring to the two of them. "We've decided that I along with Shino and Sakura should stay back and guard Inari-san and Tsunami-san. Naruto, Kiba, Hinata, and Sasuke will go with Kakashi to the bridge."

"Hai," the genin answered in uniform. They were fully emerged in their roles as shinobi now.

"Excuse me," the gruff voice of Tazuna sounded. The jounin looked at him to acknowledge they had heard him. "I don't mean to pretend how to run a squad of shinobi, or anything about tactics, but wouldn't it be more prudent to have bubble-gum-hair and Mr. Buzzly Buzz over there on the bridge along with the brooding kid? I mean, they have fought Zabuza before, and should know how to fight him better now." The shinobi ignored the name-calling – no matter how much it annoyed certain individuals – as they had learned it was the way the old bridge builder was handling the threat on his and his family's lives.

"It's true that Team 7 has experience in fighting Zabuza," Kakashi told the bearded man. "But Konoha couldn't have sent a better team than Team 8 when it comes to fighting Zabuza."

"How so?" Tsunami asked as she sat down beside her father, being done in the kitchen.

"Team 8 is Konoha's newest tracking team," he answered. There were a few seconds as the two native people to Nami no Kuni looked at each other with confused looks, before looking back at Kakashi, expecting him to tell them more. He didn't get a chance as Kurenai took over. After all, who better to explain Team 8's abilities than their sensei?

"Tazuna, you saw how Zabuza fights, using Kirigakure no Jutsu to literally strip his target's sight. He is also, as a former member of The Seven Ninja Swordsmen, master of Sairento Kiringu, which basically is taking your sense of hearing out of the equation too," she said, pausing for a minute to let the civilians grasp how tough _that_ scenario was. "Now, Kiba, Hinata, and Naruto here each have either an enhanced or extra sense. _That_ is what makes them more capable than Team 7 to fight Zabuza and however is with him."

"What kind of enhances senses?" Inari asked out of pure curiosity. Kiba was about to answer, but a quick heel-stab from Naruto shut him up.

Kurenai looked kindly at the kid. "Sorry Inari-san, but those are Konoha secrets." He looked like he still was dying to know – and none of them blamed him for it – but seemed to understand.

For the first time of their meeting, Naruto spoke up. "Kurenai-sensei, Kaka-sensei, I have a suggestion – an addition to your plan, if you will."

"Sure," Kurenai said without a second thought. Shino was looking at the exchange with a raised eyebrow, whereas Sasuke and Sakura was a little less subtle with their surprise. Apparently, it wasn't anything they were used to. But Kurenai trusted her genin for the most part, and knew they were all bright kids – even Kiba had his head set straight on when it came to missions.

"I was thinking I should leave a Kage Bunshin back here with Inari-kun and Tsunami-san. You know, to help with communication." The rest of the members of Team 8 were staring at her with wide eyes. Not so much for her suggestion – it was a good one – but more because she had called Inari with a 'kun' suffix. And this was the kid she had verbally torn to pieces not many days before. Their faces quickly settled in smiles, though.

"Wait, what?" All looks turned to Sasuke. "Uzumaki, how are we supposed to keep contact with just a Kage Bushin?"

The brown-haired genin rolled her eyes. "Uchiha, you should have learned by now that Naruto doesn't come with stupid suggestions," he stated matter of factly, and – if Kurenai and Kakashi wasn't hearing wrong – pride. But they doubted the genin would be able to hear the subtle tone of pride. Sasuke ignored it, just starring – or glaring – at the sapphire-eyed heiress.

"I wouldn't mind knowing either," Shino said. "Why? Because I've never really heard of such advanced form for communication, and especially tied to a Bunshin jutsu."

Naruto nodded at the bug-user with a smile. "It's rather simple really. When a Kage Bunshin is dispelled, no matter if it was voluntarily or forced, the knowledge it has gained during its 'life' will return to the user, and any other clones currently active. It's one of the reasons why Konoha is so good at infiltration without a high number of casualties."

"Wow," Sakura said. Naruto's eyes snapped to the pinkette: she still didn't like the girl, but the civilian born knew a lot of jutsu theory, and must realize how advanced the jutsu was. "So," Sakura continued, "If you want to send a message to us here at the house, you just make a clone and dispel it, and the clone here will get the information you intended for us?" Naruto nodded.

"Likewise," Shino spoke up. "I can imagine that the clone here would be able to make another clone and dispel it, or it can dispel itself, if we want to give you some information."

"That is correct," Naruto said and took a sip of water from the glass in front of her.

"That is a very advanced technique," Shino stated. It wasn't a question; he and everyone else in the room could hear it just by the description.

Kakashi and Kurenai looked at each other to see if the other agreed, before Kakashi spoke up. "Very well Naruto, it's a plan I can accept." He made a few corrections to the paper still in front of him. "So Team 8 along Sasuke and I will guard Tazuna-san on the bridge. Kurenai, Sakura, and Shino alongside one of Naruto's Kage Bunshin will stay here and guard Tsunami-san and Inari-san. If anything big or important happens either place, we will inform the other team of it through Naruto's Kage Bunshin."

"Hai," it came from the genin again.

"Good then, we leave in fifteen minutes, so you better get ready. We should get to the bridge around 10a.m," Kakashi said before getting up with the paper and Kurenai and went to 'his room'. Now, Naruto would be lying if she said she hadn't doubted the jounin's abilities as she kept seeing him with those damned books, but they were all washed gone during this meeting. It was clear why he was a jounin. He all but eradiated the authority and power one of such rank held.

Naruto rose from the table, as Tazuna seemed to speed up the last of his eating, and Sakura and Sasuke going outside. She quickly went upstairs to the room Team 8 was residing in, and made sure she had everything she could possibly need. It hit her again what they were possibly going to face before the day was over, and she felt a heavy weight settle on her. She took deep breath to calm herself, and thought of all the reasons why she did it. They were worth this.

"Naruto, are you ok?" Kiba's voice sounded from behind her. She had known he had gone after her; during the three days she had told her teammates about being a jinchuuriki, her emotion had slowly started to calm down enough for her chakra-sensitivity to get back up on par – and thank Kami for that.

She stood up and smiled at him, "Yeah, I'm ok." She paused while looking him straight in the eyes. She bit her lower lip lightly, "just a bit nervous, you know?"

Kiba gave her a half-sad smile. "Yeah, I know." She started walking out of the room, Kiba not moving from his spot. As she walked past him, she stopped, both of them not looking at each other, but facing away from each other.

"Kiba, don't die out there. You are very important to me."

"You too, Naruto. I don't know what I would do if something should happen to you."

* * *

- With Kakashi's Group -

Tazuna stared in disbelief at the scene in front of him. "W-what is this!" he looked over the workers, who were all either lying dead or dying on the cold stone of the bridge. "What's wrong? What the hell happened?"

Kakashi was showing no sign of emotion as he looked over the bridge, '_Just as we thought. He has returned_.' Not a second after, mist began to slowly filling and consuming the bridge, confirming his suspicions. "Team, he's coming! Protect Tazuna-san at all costs!" he barked out the order. The genin present didn't hesitate and all took their positions around the old Bridge-Builder, going into defensive poses.

Kiba couldn't help but smirk as he focused his chakra into his nose and ears; they, meaning Team 8, had trained multiple times in the cover of Kirigakure no Jutsu. By now, they were pretty used to having their normal senses cut off, and having to rely on their special abilities. He knew they couldn't let their guard down, but he couldn't help but feel smug about the surprised expression the kiri-nin would wear when he found out how easily they maneuvered in the cover of the mist.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kakashi," a dark and sinister voice sounded. Naruto shivered; she couldn't find the source of the voice. It was as if it was coming from any and all directions… So this was how a master of Sairento Kiringu was as an opponent. "I see you're still carrying kids around… though I only recognize one of them. Got tired of the rest?" Zabuza continued, as Sasuke began to tremble lightly.

Naruto saw it out of the corner of her eye, and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her with frightened eyes. But she wouldn't have any of that, and nodded at him with a smile – not unlike what Hinata had done to her all morning. He took a deep breath and swallowed, before nodding back at her. They knew they could trust each other to do their best.

"He's shaking again! how pitiful…" Zabuza mocked. Within a second of that remark, the group was surrounded by seven Mizu Bunshin.

Sasuke smirked at no one in particular, "I'm shaking with excitement". The whole of Team 8 rolled their eyes; it was so like the Uchiha heir to play down his fears, and try to turn it around to make it look like a strength.

"Whatever you say, Uchiha," Naruto said. She would be lying herself if she said she wasn't a little excited by this. Of course, she was terrified that someone was going to get hurt – someone from Konoha or Nami no Kuni that is –, but the opportunity to go all out against an opponent, to measure ones strength against a strong enemy… It was something that excited her a lot.

They stood like that for a minute or two, all looking for an opportunity to cripple the other team. Finally, one of the Water Clones seemed to see an opening, as he took off and was about to swipe his sword towards Hinata. That's when the heirs of the Uchiha and Uzumaki clans went for it. With a blur of speed, they ran around to the different clones, swiping them – Sasuke with his kunai, and Naruto with her katana. Two seconds later, as the Onyx and Sapphire eyed genin were back in their defensive positions, they all burst into water, settling on the ground as puddles. There was a slow clapping as four figures appeared in the mist about ten meters from them. It was clear who two of them were, but the other two she didn't recognize.

The tallest man was clearly Zabuza. He was tall and noticeable muscular man – it was clear he had trained a lot to keep his body as lethal as possible. From what was visible of his face, Naruto could see that the man had pale skin, short spiky black hair, brown eyes, and small, almost not noticeable eyebrows. The rest of his face was covered by bandages worn over his lower face like a mask, not unlike Kakashi. The only difference was that his bandages continued down to his neck, where it was adorned and worn much like a loose scarf. On his back he wore the giant sword Kubikiribocho, which only hung to him loosely by a belt he wore.

Beside Zabuza – close enough to come to his defense, but far enough away to get out of the way too – stood a young shinobi. Naruto couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, but she could tell that the person couldn't be much more than fourteen or fifteen years old. Even so, he or she wore him or herself that told that he had skills. Most of his features were covered by a hunter-nin mask. It was white wit thin, curved eye-holes and a red wavy design in the place of the mouth, as well as the Kirigakure symbol etched in the top. It was clear this was the fake hunter-nin who had deceived Team 7 a week before.

The last two Naruto hadn't heard Team 7 talking about. This was a surprise. And surprises weren't good in a situation like this. They were standing right next to each other, which probably meant that they needed each other for their fighting. The one on the right had shoulder-length, wild dark-brown hair and dark eyes. He was wearing a rebreather that covered the lower half of his face and a large, clawed, gauntlet on his right arm which had a chain coming out of it – the other end was attached to his partner, whom wore his own gauntlet. He was also wearing a camouflage suit with bandages around his waist, dark-colored, knee-length sandals and a ragged black cape. His Kirigakure hitai-ate had a single horn on it. His partner looked almost alike, the only difference being the gauntlet being on his left hand, and his Kirigakure hitai-ate had two horns on it. If Naruto was to take a guess, she would say they were related, brothers even. She frowned; that probably meant that they had spent most, if not all, of their shinobi-career refining their teamwork.

"Kaka-sensei, I recognize Zabuza and his hunter-nin partner, but who are the other two?" Hinata asked, her kekkei genkai activated and observing. "They don't seem to have chakra-capacity much over a chunin-level shinobi, but…" she glanced at Naruto, even though the motion was unnecessary with her Byakugan. "Looks can be deceiving."

Kakashi nodded. "You're right, they can be. Those two are the Demon Brothers of Kiri; Gozu and Meizu. They are two C-rank missing-nin, also from Kirigakure," the Konoha-jounin answered.

Kiba and Akamaru growled. "I thought you said you took care of those two on the way here? I mean, way into Hi no Kuni?"

"We did," Sasuke answered. "But it's obvious that someone freed them before the ANBU were able to pick them up."

"It was probably the fake hunter-nin," Naruto theorized. "I mean, you said that he didn't appear in your fight against Zabuza before it was almost too late. He was probably delayed by going to free them."

"Maybe…" it sounded from the young jounin. "But none of that matters now. It just means we have two more opponents to take down." The genin nodded at that, hearing that it was the end of that discussion. Not that any of them would carry on much longer in the current situation. Naruto, not having heard from Tazuna all the while they were here, glanced over her shoulder to check on him. He was still there, but he was trembling like a leaf. As long as he still was safe…

It was at this moment Naruto felt new information enter her brain. '_That bastard!_' she thought. She looked at Kakashi for a fraction of a second before speaking up. "Gato send two thugs to kidnap Tsunami and Inari as we thought he would." Another set of growls erupted from the canine-like shinobi and his partner. "The others took care of them easily, so Inari and Tsunami is safe now. Kurenai plans on taking them somewhere else, probably to Giichi-san's house."

"Right," Kakashi nodded. "I think you should inform them of what is going on here, too. We might need Kurenai if it get's bad."

"Hai," the redheaded Uzumaki answered, and formed the cross-seal she knew so well. "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_" A clone of Naruto appeared for a second, before it quickly dispelled itself again, knowing why it had been summoned instinctively,

From across the bridge Zabuza raised his eyebrow. "A _Kage Bunshin_, huh? Haku, Gozu, Meizu, watch out for the redheaded kunoichi… I have a feeling she is going to be trouble. Don't let your guard down; it only takes one slip to give the enemy the upper hand."

"Got it," the voice of Meizu sounded. Gozu didn't have to speak; Zabuza knew when one of them answered, the other was ninety-nine percent likely to follow. The twin's had been like that as long as he could remember, even back in Kiri.

"Of course Zabuza-san," Haku said with an emotionless voice. Nothing like what he normally talked like.

Kakashi looked over the genin who were his responsibility as much as Tazuna was. "Kiba, get close and protect Tazuna. Sasuke, Hinata, you will take care of The Demon Brothers, while Naruto take care of the fake Hunter-nin. I will keep Zabuza occupied." The group immediately got into the different positions they were given.

Zabuza saw the opposing group getting ready, "I don't think we have more time for chit-chat. Haku you got first."

"Hai," she said, as she drew senbon-needles and began spinning around, making her way to the Konoha shinobi.

Naruto was impressed by the speed her opponent was reaching, but knew she could match it. She made a ram-seal quickly. "_Fuin Sage!_" she whispered under her breath. She immediately felt the weight on her body lift, and she took off with equal speed, drawing her katana as she did.

Haku was aiming for one of the nerves in the Uzumaki-heiress' chest, when she blocked and pushed back. Zabuza saw it and raised his almost invisible eyebrow, '_Oh? She was able to match Haku's speed. And by the looks of it, she's got rather impressive strength._' He couldn't help but grin under his bandage-mask, '_this is going to be more fun than I had thought._'

The two shinobi looked each other over, trying to estimate the others strength. Their weapons clashed again and again, neither being able to get through the others guard. It became clear to both of them that Naruto had much more strength in her arms and swings than the kiri-nin, but that the kiri-nin was very skilled with senbon, and managed each time to twist or turn it in some way that would nullify the Uzumaki-heiress' attack. Naruto spun around fast, trying to get some more force into her strike, but Haku just did the same thing, getting the same results as all the previous clashes. They stopped, trying to overpower the other, rather than compete in speed.

Then Haku spoke "I don't want to kill you, but you won't back off, right?"

Naruto raised her eyebrow at the strange request. "You know, it doesn't really work that way. We've been hired to guard this bridge with our lives, and guard it we will. Even if Tazuna-san released us from our contract right this second, I wouldn't stop protecting him and his family. Too much is at stake."

"That's very noble of you," the smooth voice of Haku sounded. She sounded sincere to Naruto, but the whiskered girl didn't trust it; Shinobi was trained to master the art deception after all. "It's as I thought," the masked Haku said, "but you won't be able to keep up with me for my next move."

"You know, that's very arrogant of you to say that," Naruto responded, keeping up the struggle with her opponent. "You should know that shinobi don't just show all their cards from the start."

"Even so… I'm already two steps ahead of you."

"Please do tell me how you're two steps ahead of me," Naruto drawled. "I'm dying to know."

"The first one is the water on the ground," Haku said, keeping her voice even, referring to the water that had condensed from the mist, alongside the puddles of water from the destroyed Water Clones. Naruto had to bite her tongue not to smirk there; that was _her_ advantage.

"And the second?" the whiskered girl asked.

"And the second one," Haku continued, "is that I'm keeping one of your arms busy. Therefore, you can only take and block my attacks." Naruto frowned slightly at that. She had thought they were on even ground there, but the way her opponent spoke…

While keeping the redhead's right arm busy, Haku brought up her other hand, starting to go through one-handed seals. Naruto's eyes widened _'what! He's creating seals with one hand…!_' She could only stand there and do nothing. If she tried to back off, then fake hunter-nin would just stab her down. If she stayed, she would most likely get hit by whatever technique Haku was casting. She was trapped. She had to think fast.

Hinata saw this and charged, "Naruto!"

"Hinata, no!" Kakashi said, but it was too late. Zabuza nodded to Gozu and Meizu and they charged towards Kiba and Akamaru. Kakashi nodded to Sasuke who quickly caught up to his temporary teammate. Thus the second clash begun. The four shinobi was soon engulfed in the mist, away from Haku and Naruto.

Only a fraction of Naruto's mind focused on that. She was still looking for a way out. She spotted the water on the ground… The same water her opponent had spoken of moments before. '_That must mean she needs it for her own jutsu… If I can just._' Naruto started focusing her chakra, but it was too late.

Haku stopped at a half ram-seal. "_Sensatsu Suisho!_" she said stomping with one foot in the ground. All the water around them flew into the air, forming a dome like shape around the two. As soon as the dome was shaped, the water started forming into needles – senbon-needles by the looks of it –, covering every escape route. Naruto narrowed her eyes, trying to hasten her own plan.

Kakashi and Zabuza, being the only remaining people around the two young shinobi, could only look by. Kakashi was, to put it mildly, surprised. 'O_ne-handed seals? I've only ever seen that in veterans! And it's not something you can learn; you either can or can't do it. And the latter is the most common. That kiri-nin is really something else. I have to do something!_' With that thought Kakashi charged towards the two, aiming to get Naruto out of the water needle dome. He was, however, stopped midway by a Zabuza slashing with his decapitation sword, and was forced to dodge it unless he wanted to lose a head.

Zabuza shook his head laughing lightly,"Now now Kakashi, it wouldn't be nice to interrupt someone's fighting, would it now?"

Kakashi looked frustrated at Zabuza, before his sight settled on Naruto and her opponent. '_Come on Naruto! You can do this! You're the daughter of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina! You're the genin of your year!_'

Naruto looked around the dome, trying to find any way to escape. But all escape routes were blocked by sharp water needles. If the situation wasn't so dire, she would be very impressed by the jutsu. It was definitely something she could use… She glanced over her shoulder to see if Kakashi would be able to help her. That hope was quickly shot down, as he was in a showdown against Zabuza. She turned her eyes back on the fake hunter-nin.

There was something, a flicker behind the mask, a hidden command or something, as the jutsu seemed to be ready. The water senbon-needles began flying towards the two, and Haku jumped back with impressive speed, to avoid getting hit by her own attack. Naruto didn't close her eyes: she knew she had to keep her eyes open to the very last moment, take in everything. '_It's now or never_,' she thought as she released her own chakra in a small pulse.

The sound of the needles hitting their target sounded as the place they had fought was covered up in even more vapor.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I know this is mean! A mean, mean cliffy! But to be honest, I haven't done one in so long, so I thought it was time! Muhahaha!

I know many of you wanted it – meaning this battle – in one chapter, but that would simply be too much. I want to try to keep the word-count on about the same amount every chapter. But this way, you will get all the juicy stuff the next chapter! I mean, who doesn't like about 5k words full of battles?

Apart from the next chapter, I will try to update this story once a week, and will try to do it on Sundays. Again, I can't promise anything, but I'll strive to keep the chapters updating with at least one chapter a week. But the next chapter will _probably_ write itself fast. It's been a long time since I've written a real battle scene, and I have so many inspirations for this one. I think it will be done by Tuesday or Wednesday. Of course, that will most likely mean that you will have to wait one and a half week for the chapter after the next – probably.

I can't believe I've actually reached the twentieth chapter of this story. It doesn't seem like that long ago since I sat with the idea in my head. I just want to take my time to thank all of you who supports this story, whether it is by reviewing, favoriteing, alerting, or simply reading the story. Thank you.

I'm pleased that by far the most of you liked the confrontation last chapter. Its huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. So now Hinata and Kiba knows about the Kyuubi, huh? It'll of course be a shift in their relationship – one I hope I already showed a bit of in this chapter.

Some of you may be displeased with the first half of the chapter, but I think it is important to also get that part of the story. The thoughts which is going through their heads, the feelings they feel. And you even see Sasuke and Naruto forming _some_ kind of respect for each other. If not anything, they respect each other skills… though Sasuke may be jealous of his Uzumaki counterpart.

Well, that was really all for this time. I'll try to get the next chapter out fast! Believe me, I want to write the words, just as much as you want to read them.

Until next time :).

**Sairento Kiringu - Soundless Murder Technique:** As the name suggests, this technique is simply a very quiet method of killing an opponent, usually from behind with a blade. Additionally, because the user moves silently, it cannot be defended against, because the attack cannot be anticipated. The user will often slit their opponent's throat, preventing any cry that might give them away. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist are shown to be masters of this technique, and were even good enough to track and kill opponents through sound alone. Some shinobi also opt to use a cover such as mist or even frost to rob their opponents of their field of vision and then attack them.

**Kirigakure no Jutsu - Hiding in Mist Technique:** This displacement technique is a specialty of the ninja from Kirigakure, where one causes a mist to spring forth by lifting up some water from either a pre-existing source or expelled from their mouth, then goes in and out of sight at will from within the pearly-white realm. The mist's thickness is controlled by the amount of chakra kneaded into it. It can't fool the Byakugan, but, due to the mist being created with the user's chakra, any Sharingan and Rinnegan-user will see the mist colored by their opponent's chakra, which will effectively hide the user from the Dojutsu.

**Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu – Water Clone Technique:** The Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu is similar to the Shadow Clone Technique except it creates clones out of water that have one-tenth of the original person's power. Like other solid clone techniques, the clones can be used to perform tasks the user is unable or unwilling to do for themselves. The range of the clone is limited however, as it cannot travel very far from the original body without losing control. Like other clone techniques, if the water clones are injured enough they will revert back to normal water.

**Kubikiribocho - Decapitating Carving Knife: **The Kubikiribocho (首斬り包丁; Literally meaning "Decapitating Carving Knife") is a massive broadsword shaped like a giant butcher knife, earning it the title of "seversword" (断刀, dantō). Like the other weapons belonging to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, the sword is passed down from generation to generation amongst the group's members.

**Fuin Sage – Seal Lowering:** One of the Uzumaki Clan's Fuinjutsu manipulating jutsu. Fuin Sage is used to lowering the power of a seal.

**Sensatsu Suisho - Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death:** Using this technique, Haku gathers some water from the air and surrounding environment into one thousand long needles. She then directs them to a specific target at high speed, leaping backwards before impact so she doesn't get caught in the crossfire. Haku is able to perform this jutsu with one-handed seals, allowing him to pin an opponent's arm and attack while they cannot use any techniques themselves


	21. Her Control

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Gaara king of the sand:** I didn't write the blood thing on Kubikiribocho? Oh well. It's not an ability we will see in this fight.

Naruto will not get Rinnegan. It may be theorized it's a rare kekkei genkai of the Uzumaki clan, but it doesn't fit into The Red Tempest of Konoha. Naruto is going to be strong enough at it is. You will see it already in the next chapter and in the chunin exams. Of course, her true strength will first show in the Shippuuden arcs.

**Freedomsglowing hand:** About Sasuke and Sakura not shitting on Kakashi more... Remember that this mission is a few weeks later than the one in canon, so I like to think that they have matured a bit more. If not, I'm just going to say that in this story they understand the gravity of the situation, and they have learned in the academy to listen to their jounin sensei.

To be honest, I did think about them shitting more on Kakashi, but... When I did write it, something felt off about the chapter. So I decided against it.

As for Chapter 19: Yeah, they did shout - at one point. But that was more of a fallout than the real thing. And I don't really think neither Kurenai no Kakashi would allow Team 7 anywhere near the roof at that point. That was a good excuse, wasn't it?

**Artfrogy:** Thank you for pointing that out! I corrected the mistake as soon as I got your review, so thank you very much. Of course Sakura isn't on the bridge here; she is back at the house with Kurenai and Shino.

**Greatness Alone: **Wow, thanks :) That means a lot to hear things like that. I know that some author's just write before and after the story to fill out words. I don't like to do that. I think if you write anything extra, it has to be important, and something that is going to matter to the readers.

Yeah, I always thought that the battle in the manga was a bit weird. I mean, they knew that Zabuza would be back around that day, and still they were surprised he was coming? And they left Naruto behind? Sleeping even. I could understand if they left him behidn for protection, but they didn't.

Naruto isn't going to be in Konoha when Sasuke leaves, but she will be there leading up to it, and, of course, she and Sasuke will have a bit of a confrontation. And I must be honest: I can't wait to write her reaction when she finds out he betrayed Konoha AND was the cause for Kiba getting hurt. You get the picture ;).

Thanks! Character development is one of the things I really wanted to do right. I don't think Naruto would suddently become 'better'. There are steps, and sometimes steps back (as seen in the previous chapters).

**Shadowdarts24:** Thanks a bunch :). Is it really that good? I think there is tons of other much more talented author's on this side. Oh well :) Never look a gift horse in the mouth.

I am rather proud of how the characters act, and the development they go through. It's something I think is very important in a story - especially a fanfiction story, where much of the basic storyline can already been set.

I would like to think that you will be able to see some big differences between this fight, and the one in canon - and I mean beside that it's other people who are fighting. But it should still be recognizable.

**Chapter 21:** Her Control

* * *

_Naruto looked around the dome, trying to find any way to escape. But all escape routes were blocked by sharp water needles. If the situation wasn't so dire, she would be very impressed by the jutsu. It was definitely something she could use… She glanced over her shoulder to see if Kakashi would be able to help her. That hope was quickly shot down, as he was in a showdown against Zabuza. She turned her eyes back on the fake hunter-nin._

_There was something, a flicker behind the mask, a hidden command or something, as the jutsu seemed to be ready. The water senbon-needles began flying towards the two, and Haku jumped back with impressive speed, to avoid getting hit by her own attack. Naruto didn't close her eyes: she knew she had to keep her eyes open to the very last moment, take in everything. '_It's now or never_,' she thought as she released her own chakra in a small pulse._

_The sound of the needles hitting their target sounded as the place they had fought was covered up in even more vapor._

* * *

Haku dashed back, stopping about three meters away from her target, as her attack hit home. She frowned as she felt a chakra-spike just before the senbon-needles made contact, keeping her guard up as the extra water vapor dispersed into the mist. When she finally saw her target, she didn't know what to think. Sure, the redheaded genin from Konoha had a few scratches here and there, but almost all the needles had been stopped only centimeters from their destination… by a big shield of water.

What was even more troubling was that said scratches was starting to heal up before her very eyes: she could actually see the progress as they went from looking like fresh injuries, to week old scratches, to small pink scars, which disappeared after a few seconds. This was not any kind of Iryo Ninjutsu she had ever seen before… if it even was Iryo Ninjutsu.

A smirk spread across Naruto's face. "You aren't the only one with a Suiton affinity," she said as the water around her started to shape itself into balls of water. They hovered in air around the whiskered heiress, moving slowly around her seemingly on their own accord, Naruto being the center of it all. It almost looked like a planet with its satellites… only this planet also had a sword, could move, and could hit really, really hard.

"You should be honored, missing-nin," Naruto said as she got into a different stance. "You will only be the second opponent I've gotten the chance to use this on."

Haku tensed as she got on the defensive. "'This' being?"

"Odoru mizu no megami." With that she charged towards the masked shinobi.

- With Kakashi and Zabuza -

Kakashi was holding up his Kunai in a defensive stance. Zabuza was totally controlling this battle, no doubt about that. His Sharingan wasn't too much use as the fog was too thick. He was covered in small cuts here and there, the biggest being in his hand. Zabuza had stabbed him with a strange blade as soon as he had tried to uncover his Sharingan. After that Zabuza had disappeared into the mist, showing why he was called Demon of Kiri. His ability with the silent killing method was frightening. The only reason the silver-haired jounin was still here was because of his Sharingan; he could dodge just enough for Zabuza to miss any of his vital areas. He was just hoping that Naruto and Sasuke were doing better. He could still hear sounds from another battle, so he was positive that they were still alive.

"Well well Kakashi, it looks like you don't look so good," it came from Zabuza in the mist

"You're worried about me Zabuza? That's cute. You don't have to, I'm more than ok," Kakashi said hiding his worry.

"Really? I guess we will have to do something about that won't we?" Zabuza said finishing with an evil laugh. Kakashi tightened up his stance and awaited a new barrage of assaults.

Right then Haku and Naruto came into view. And Haku was on the defensive. Naruto was wielding her blade alongside a large portion of water, seemingly dancing effortless between the balls, slashing and hacking towards the fake hunter-nin. The water kept changing shapes: blades, blocks, shields… whatever was needed in the moment. And every time Naruto slashed, punched, or kicked at her opponent, water would follow after in a long slim blade. Kakashi's eyes almost popped out of his head when Haku dodged the water, and the blade impeded itself deep into the concrete of the bridge. If it was a normal blade it would either shatter or get stuck, but the water effortlessly flowed out of the slim crack, and got back to attacking the missing-nin.

As fast as they had come into sight, they disappeared in the deep mist again.

"Well… damn," the disbelieving voice sounded. "You know how to pick your students, Kakashi. Too bad that she won't live through the day."

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "As much as I wish I could, I can't take credit for her skills: she isn't my student. But I promise you, that is only a fraction of her power…"

- With Naruto and Haku -

'_Incredible! Not even Zabuza-san's Suiton is this strong!_' That thought, and a variety of that thought, was what was going through Haku's head as she was completely on the defensive against the redheaded genin. True, with her speed she hadn't been hit too many times – and she had been smart enough to stay the hell away from the water.

She had even tried to use the thickening mists to her advantage. After all, she was used to navigate in them with Zabuza – though she was nowhere near his level, she had a good idea of where people in the mists were. But every time she had lost sight of the redhead in the mist, the Konoha-genin would appear right away.

It was at that moment that the whiskered Uzumaki hit her opponent, due to a rise in speed for just a fraction of a second. Haku winced as the jinchuuriki of Konoha got a good punch in on her kidney. But she couldn't rest; she jumped back before the water revolting around her opponent would take the opportunity to strike. '_It really is like they almost have a mind of their own_' Haku mused on the water globes. She jumped back two meters, surprised that the her opponent didn't follow her right away. This gave time to Zabuza's apprentice to catch her breath – and see how much Naruto _didn't_ need to catch her breath.

As the two shinobi looked at each other, trying to come up with a better strategy, Naruto's eyes narrowed as flakes of ice fell off of the kiri-nin, at the spot she had been hit. She narrowed her eyes, focusing on the immediate area around the missing-nin's wound. Cold air was swirling around it, centering and condensing on the broken spot. "I see… that's how it is."

"So you found out," Haku stated the fact behind her mask, in a monotone voice.

"There aren't many who can just take a hit from me, and keep fighting like you do. You have some sort of ability to use an armor," Naruto said to the opponent meters away.

"Indeed I have. Kori no Yoroi encases me in a thin sheet of chakra-infused ice. It will block all but the strongest attacks," Haku replied. "I must admit that I'm impressed that you were even able to break a part of it. It's clear that you're much stronger than you appear." Zabuza had been right – not that she had doubted him in any way –; the whiskered girl was going to be a challenge. '_I can't hold back for much longer… I really don't want to resort to that,'_ Haku thought. She began going through sets of seals, with more than a few seals Naruto had never seen before. "_Hyoton: Senbon no Hari!_'

The whiskered Uzumaki was shocked to see the water around her opponent freeze over before breaking into pieces and forming into senbon-needles. Of course she didn't let her surprise show as she looked at her opponent, '_I see… I should have guessed as much. She has a kekkei genkai: Hyoton. It would explain why she is a missing-nin, when thinking about Kirigakure's history…_' Her thoughts were taken elsewhere as the Hyoton-user began bombarding the Konoha-nin.

Naruto had never been more grateful for her Uzumaki fighting style than when she weaved through those senbon needles. Her water globes blocked a good portion of them, and if not stopped completely, they slowed them down. She winced mentally as she felt a few of the cold weapons slice in her skin open, but she felt – curtsey of the Kyuubi – her skin knit together only a few seconds after it had been ripped apart.

Knowing she wouldn't be able to dodge the attacks forever – no matter how good she was – she morphed her water together into two globes. One of the shaped into a thick wall – thick enough for the senbon to stop halfway through – and the other went to put some pressure on the kiri-nin. '_If we go one on one this could take forever. Neither she nor I have a distinct advantage over the other… She can't even use the mist as I'm sure she's used to…_' Naruto thought as she let her minor injuries heal behind the water barrier. Then a, what someone would call frightening, grin spread across the redheads face. '_Then we don't go one on one_.'

"Don't worry, Kiri-nin, the fight won't last much longer," Naruto said out loud, as her waters receded to their gravity center. Haku tensed up as the redhead formed the same seal she had before the fight. "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_" the Uzumaki princess cried out. Five Kage Bunshin appeared beside her, three of them taking off into the mists right away. Haku could only keep track of them for a few seconds after they were created, then they disappeared from her senses. She tensed up even more as she knew she was at a disadvantage now: not only was it three against one, there were also three clones in the mists, who could attack her whenever they wanted.

"Well, let's finish this," the three Uzumaki heiresses' said in unison.

- With Sasuke and Hinata, Meizu and Gozu -

It quickly became clear to Hinata that while she and Sasuke had more skills individually than The Demon Brothers, the two kiri-nin's teamwork was almost unparalleled. If it had been her and Kiba fighting them, or her and Naruto, they could most likely take them down within a few minutes. But she and Sasuke had never fought together – quite the opposite actually: they had always fought against each other, competed if you will.

Sasuke twisted out of the chain that connected the twin kiri-nin, leaving an opening for Hinata. She charged forward, her left hand glowing as she focused her chakra as she had learned to do in her clan's fighting style.

"_Shotei!_" she said and twisted her hand to make contact to one of the brothers. He saw her coming, however, and jumped while his partner pulled his end of the chain, effectively pulling him a safe distance from the Juukenpo-wielding genin. "Damn it," she swore and released the chakra from her hand. The onyx-eyed genin tried to take advantage of the airborne Kiri-nin, and went through a couple of hand seals to one of is clan's infamous katon jutsu.

"_Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!_" it came from Sasuke. Several smaller fireballs spewed out from Sasuke's mouth, after which he right away threw a hail of shuriken at the twins. Hinata nodded mentally in approval. She could respect that her current – and temporary – teammate had skills as a shinobi. Now, if that only helped on his shiny personality… The volley of small fireballs flew from Sasuke in what seemed in an unpredictable manner. But Hinata could see with her clan's kekkei genkai that the last loyal Uchiha actually had fine control for a genin over them. And she saw his plan.

The fireballs seared multiple places of the bridge, making the Demon Brothers jump, duck, and everything in between to dodge the searing flames. But it was to no avail; Sasuke's jaw clenched firm as he focus on controlling one of the smaller bolts of fire, turning it midair, and making it fly right into…

"Meizu!" Gozu cried out in fear when he saw his twin getting hit. Meizu, sadly enough, got up on one knee grunting soon enough. Gozu smirked, "Is that all you got, Konoha? You know, you were much more of a challenge back in Hi no Kuni!" Then he started laughing.

"I wouldn't count your blessing quite yet," Hinata said quietly. Meizu and Gozu eyes widened as they saw all the wires spreading from Sasuke's body, to… everywhere on the bridge. The Uchiha drew back on said wires. That's when they saw all the shuriken - which were now headed towards the kiri-nin twins.

"Gozu!" Meizu said, as if Gozu would know what to do. Apparently he did.

"Right, Meizu," he said as they stood back to back, going through seals.

"_Doton: Doryuuheki!_" they both cried, pushing their hands on the bridge. Up shot two walls of earth, which joined on top of them, leaving the two missing-nin inside the dome. Sufficient to say, the small army of shuriken simply bounced harmlessly off.

"Damn it!" This time it was Sasuke who swore. He looked over at his Hyuuga counterpart. "If we don't do something soon…" he trailed off.

The Hyuuga nodded in agreement. "Indeed. It keeps up like this we will soon need to go on the defensive. If just-"

BOOM…. BOOOM…. CRASH!

The two clan heirs focused chakra to their feet – Sasuke using it the first time during a battle – to not let the tremors knock them off their feet. "What was _that_?" Sasuke asked, looking through the thick fog that was on the bridge. The other heir didn't answer her counterpart right away, as she used her kekkei genkai to see what was going on. When she did a smirk crossed her face.

"That, Sasuke, was Naruto in a battle," she finally answered. He looked at Hinata with wide eyes.

"_Uzumaki?_ That was _Uzumaki_ who made those?" he asked, not believing his ears. "How?" he asked, almost glaring at the Hyuuga main-branch member. If Naruto had some secret to become that powerful so quickly, Hinata surely must know. And he had to get it. She didn't get to answer him – or rather refuse to answer him – as a familiar voice sounded not far from them, while the earth wall collapsed about the Demon Brothers.

"Hinata!" Naruto's voice sounded. Both dojutsu wielders turned to see the redhead running through the mists towards them. Hinata didn't miss the slips of papers that she was clenching in her hand.

"Naruto-chan. I thought you were fighting the fake hunter-nin?" Hinata asked, taking her eyes off of the Demon, only looking at her friend through her Byakugan.

"I am," she answered while handing the slips to her best friend. "Just thought you could use some… _help_."

"We don't need _help_, Uzumaki," Sasuke said glaring holes in her. Hinata ignored him and accepted the papers, quickly glancing at them. She could see the kanji for 'Bind' and 'Suppress' among the symbols, but that was all she recognized. She, however, knew right away what it was used for.

Hinata nodded, "Thanks. We'll need them." Then 'Naruto' puffed away in smoke, revealing herself to be a Kage Bunshin.

"Just a clone? Couldn't she have stayed to fight?" the raven-haired boy complained.

"She has her own battle to fight," Hinata snapped. How could someone be so narrow-sighted? "We need to keep them occupied for a little bit, then get them to use that earth encampment again."

"And why is that?"

"Just do it, Sasuke!" Hinata said. Sheesh! Why couldn't he just act like a normal shinobi for once? They didn't get to talk anymore, as the Demon Brothers had had enough of waiting.

- With Haku and Naruto -

Naruto knew that she shouldn't count her blessings before she had them, but it was really hard not to, with how she dominated this fight. Sure, Haku had been able to take down three clones so far, but Naruto had just conjured replacements for them. Haku had finally given up taken them on head-on and had tried to hide in the mist again: Big mistake. Not only could Naruto sense her through her chakra sensitivity, the clones that went into the mist hadn't just done nothing.

"What?" it came from the kiri-kunoichi as she had just backpedaled to avoid the Uzumaki's attacks. A symbol on the bridge near where she had landed was lighting up yellow. Glowing symbols were never good. '_Shit!_' she thought as she jumped away from the symbol.

BOOM!

And it was just in time: the small section of the bridge it had been on blew up with such force that she could feel the shockwave, and see the mist momentarily retreat from the area, before flowing back over it. Again, she didn't have time to think, as a similar symbol lit up – under her this time. She jumped again, making sure not to land anywhere near another symbol this time.

BOOM!

She could only look as another small section of the bridge blew up, and pieces falling down into the water, many meters below. Haku looked up at the smirking Narutos, who were standing still about five meters from her, only the water moving around the middle one – the original. "How?" Haku simply asked. She sure as hell knew that those symbols weren't there before, and even when her opponent had sent clones into the mist before, they wouldn't be able to do this. These symbols had _been_ the stone. Not on the stone, but the stone itself. And she was pretty sure there hadn't been a genjutsu to hide them…

"Do you know my full name?" Naruto asked, stopping her attacks for the moment.

Puzzled by the question, Haku shook her head. "No."

Naruto raised her head in what could be perceived as arrogant, but in this case it was pride. "My full name is Naruto… Uzumaki Naruto." Haku gasped. "And what you are up against, Kiri-nin, is the art of _Uzumaki_ _fuinjutsu_."

Haku couldn't believe her ears. She was up against a _genin_ from _the_ Uzumaki clan. She clearly knew a bit about fuinjutsu. Konoha was one of the only villages that had advanced knowledge of fuinjutsu – thanks to the Uzumaki clan. The rest of the villages had rather limited knowledge. From what she had heard, the Uzumaki had all but disappeared since Uzu no Kuni had been destroyed by the joint effort of Kiri and Iwa… To think that Konoha have revived the clan. It was frightening to think of.

"I thought it was your job to protect the bridge?" Haku asked, really not wanting to show how much she was frightened by the prospect of fighting a shinobi who knew how to use advanced fuinjutsu. "Because it seems to me like you're blowing it up."

"Bridges can be rebuild," the redhead answered with a frown. "Our mission is to protect the Bridge-builder until the bridge is finished. Nothing in our contract says anything about protecting the bridge itself. Though, it will take longer to finish our mission…" Naruto shook her head. "No matter. This bridge _will_ be build." Naruto charged again, now clearly pushing Haku towards points she knew she had to avoid.

The Hyoton-user learned to avoid many of the seals on the ground, but stepped on quite a few too. She knew she had hurt right knee in one of those encounters as one of the bridge debris had hit her. '_I can't take much more of this! I have to step up my game… I'm going to try one more thing before using __**that**_.'

"Got you!" it came from the whiskered Uzumaki.

Haku looked under her to see water reseed… and to display what could only be a dozen or so fuinjutsu symbols, all of which lit up. She quickly went through hand seals to do the only jutsu she thought had even a remote chance of saving her.

"_Hyoton: Reito Ryu!_"

**BOOOM**

- With Sasuke and Hinata, Meizu and Gozu -

**BOOOM**

The Demon Brothers, not prepared for the major tremor that ran through the bridge, feel on their asses. That was all Hinata needed: "Now!" she shouted at the Uchiha heir. He shot her a glare, but did as he had been told. He threw as many shuriken as he could, all wired, and aimed at the brothers.

Meizu got up on one knee, "Hee hee, haven't you already tried that? Let's go Gozu!"

"_Doton: Doryuuheki!_" they both cried, again pushing their hands on the bridge. They were soon enough inside the dome of earth again.

Hinata dashed forward, Sasuke looking puzzling and suspiciously at her. When she was at the earth-barrier she slapped the two pieces of paper she had gotten from Naruto on it, and pushed her chakra into it. "_Fuin!_" seal formulas spread across the earth, and down onto the bridge. They lit up brightly red and blue respectively, before going back to being black. Hinata stepped back, lightly winded from the fight. "It is done…"

"Ho-. What?" Sasuke tried to say while staring at the sealed earth dome. "What was that?"

"Fuinjutsu. Uzumaki Fuinjutsu to be precise," Hinata said. "Sasuke, you stay here and guard the Demon Brothers. I'll go see if I can help Naruto-chan."

The Uchiha heir glared at the Hyuuga heiress. "Why shouldn't you guard this, and I'll go beat the crap out of Uzumaki's opponent?"

"Because I've been on the same team as Naruto since Academy, and we've fought together for way longer! Cut the crap and stay here, Sasuke!" she didn't wait to see if he did as she told. She couldn't care about him at that moment: Kakashi and Kurenai could take care of him after if it was necessary. Right now she needed to go see if she could help Naruto… She had tried to not let it show, but the sounds which were coming, and the glances she had seen when she wasn't focus on her own opponents, had scared the hell out of her. It was so different from Kakashi's and Zabuza's fight, which was about stealth and silence. Naruto and the fake hunter-nin was about big explosions, impressive jutsu, and… apparently to try and take the bridge down with them.

- With Haku and Naruto -

"Oh… crap," Naruto mumbled when she saw what was in front of her. The fake hunter-nin from Kirigakure sure had gotten a few bruises, but nothing of what the redhead had hoped on. To make it worse, the way the Hyoton-user had avoided getting seriously maimed was by creating two ice dragons, which now towered over the Uzumaki heiress.

"I really am sorry," Haku said from her position on one of the dragons. "I don't want to kill you. But you're standing in the way of Zabuza-san's goal, so I cannot afford to be defeated here."

"I was about to say a similar thing," Naruto said, looking warily at her now intimidating opponent. '_Guess the gloves are coming off,_' the Uzumaki heiress thought before making the ram-seal. _"Fuin Kai!_" The seals on her hands and legs lit up again, before going dull, signaling that they had been deactivated. Naruto brought her hands together to form the cross-seal, "_Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_"

'_**Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!?**_' was all Haku got to think before what she could guess was twenty to thirty Uzumaki genin standing in front of her. '_How does she has so much stamina!? The Kage Bunshin should be a __**straining**__ jutsu, but here she is, using it like it's the everyday D-rank jutsu!_'

"As you said," one of the Narutos said. "Let's finish this." And they charged each other.

- With Kakashi and Zabuza -

Kakashi looked worriedly in the direction of where all the battle sounds where coming. He was starting to get a little worried. It hadn't been nice sounds that had come from that direction, and a few moments ago the whole section of the bridge had trembled. And now he heard rocks hitting the water below – Kami he hoped that the bridge survived this battle –, and even through the thick mist he could see shadows clashing.

"It's some students you have Kakashi, to be able to stand up against Haku. Even the pale-eyed girl and duckbutt-boy is holding Meizu and Gozu off," Zabuza's voice sounded, again with seemingly no origin.

Kakashi tried to determine where the voice had come from. "The feeling is mutual. Naruto is most likely the strongest genin in Konoha – strong enough to beat a couple of our chunin," Kakashi replied while keeping his worry hidden. "Even Hinata and Sasuke are strong, both heirs of their respective clans." He couldn't afford to show any weakness now. He had come up with a strategy to get Zabuza. Now all he needed was to wait.

A large roar sounded, following by what sounded like crystal shattering. Kakashi looked the way the sound had come from, and swore he could see what seemed like a dragon through the mists. But as soon as he saw it, it disappeared: The mists were simply too thick. That only added to his worry.

"I don't know about you, but I would like to see this fight, so let's finish this," Zabuza said, before appearing from the mist with Kubikiribocho raised for a slash. The Sharingan-wielding jounin let it slash him slightly in the stomach, making his blood splatter out on his opponent and his sword. Zabuza grinned before disappearing into the mist again.

"I have to agree with you, Zabuza," Kakashi said keeping the pain out of his face by sheer willpower. He had gone through worse, and would get through this. "It's time we end this. The next jutsu will be the last." With that, Kakashi brought out a scroll from his flak jacket, smeared some of his exposed blood on it, and began a ritual like process.

- With Kiba and Tazuna -

"What the hell are they doing to my bridge!?" Tazuna all but screamed as he felt the biggest tremor yet.

"Growl!" Akamaru growled.

"Tazuna, I've been right beside you for the _whole_ fight. How in Shinigami's name should I know anymore than you?" Kiba said harshly to his client. "And if you don't mind, keep your voice down! You're the target here, if you haven't figured it out yet! You need to _lay low_ and _not_ get discovered."

Tazuna frowned, "But my _bridge_-"

"Can be rebuild! Now SHOOSH!"

- With Haku and Naruto -

"_Suiton: Kyonyu Mizurappa!_"

Three very large water streams hit one of the dragons, finally shattering it. Immediately after the Kage Bunshin who had used the chakra-consuming ninjutsu puffed out of existence. '_One down, one to go…_' Naruto thought. While before she had been completely on the offensive, now it was pretty safe to say that she just as much on the defensive. She didn't get to think any more of that as the other ice dragon roared, before its tail smashed into the bridge and four shadow clones. She was now down to thirteen clones, plus herself. She _could_ make more, but she didn't have as much chakra as when she started, and she wanted to preserve as much as possible. You know, just in case the Hyoton-user had yet another card up her sleeve.

"Uzumaki-san, are you read to give up?" Haku yelled from her position.

"I already told you that," Naruto said as she charged with her fist raised, two other clones doing the same thing from different positions, while three other clones went through seals for _Suiton: Mizurappa_. "There's too much at stake for me to step down!" She and her clones hit the dragon as hard as they could. It roared again, big pieces of ice falling from it.

"_Suiton: Mizurappa!_" the three clones said, spewing torrents of water into the 'wounds' of the dragon, making more ice fall. But all the damage they had done was undone, when Haku settled for the ram-seal and replaced the ice. '_For fucks sake!_' Naruto all but screamed in her head. That's when she felt a very familiar chakra-signature at the edge of their battle-field. She had to stop herself from looking that way, so she didn't give her away. But soon enough she saw the person.

Up the ice dragon ran the Hyuuga heiress, kekkei genkai bulking in her face, right hand extended with glowing blue light, courtesy of her chakra. It was truly a frightening sight – even more so when you knew what that one strike could do to you. Haku didn't see Hinata before she was just behind her.

"_Shotei!_" it came from Hinata. Her palm made contact with the kiri-nin's abdomen, making Haku cry out in pain. She had no choice than to retreat away from the dragon when Hinata was about to strike her again. As soon as the fake hunter-nin was away from the dragon – and into the mists again –, Hinata turned to Naruto. "Now!"

"I know," Naruto said as she and six clones charged again. "Ha!" she screamed as she hit the dragon alongside her clones. It roared one last time, before falling together in a big pile of shattered ice.

Hinata quickly dashed to her best friend. "Glad to see you're ok, Naruto-chan. And thanks for the seals."

"Likewise," Naruto nodded. "So the seals worked?"

"Just like you theorized," Hinata confirmed.

"Good…" Naruto glanced again at Hinata beside her and smiled. "You better get over and help Kakashi. From what I can sense, he is in a bit of a pinch… Though I don't know how much we'll be able to help him against Zabuza."

"I don't know, Naruto-chan…" the pale-eyed girl said with a frown. "Have you contacted Kurenai-sensei?"

"Well, my clones have been destroyed by the lot the last ten minutes, so she should know we might need them." The whiskered girl turned to Hinata, "now go."

"I don't think so…" the missing-nin's voice sounded before cold, and _visible_, air surrounded the two Konoha genin. "_Makyo Hyosho!_" Around them ice began to shoot up from the ground, forming mirrors. Before she or Hinata could do anything about it they were inside a dome of ice mirrors. There was twenty-one, if Naruto didn't miscount: Twelve remained at ground level, eight floated above the first twelve and angled toward the ground, and the final mirror was above the rest and facing the ground. Before they knew, Haku's image was in all the mirrors.

"How?" Hinata asked.

Naruto pointed outside the dome, "there." Hinata just got to see an ice mirror, before it shattered. "So this was your final ace?"

"You have lost now, Konoha." Haku said, her voice seemingly coming from all the mirrors. "There is nothing you can do, but to give up".

The redheaded Uzumaki glared at one of the mirror images. "I already told you that I can't do that," Naruto said determinately. "Have you seen what people in this country live like? How children beg for food just to survive the day? I am fighting for all of them. _Konoha _is fighting for all of them. You are fighting for Gato, the one that caused this. So we _will_ win this fight, we _will_ defeat you, and we _will_ help free this nation from Gato's grasp."

Haku looked sadly – though the two Konoha genin couldn't see that – at them, focusing more on the Uzumaki heiress. '_She would've become one of her times strongest shinobi... I'm sure of that.'_ She shook her emotions of her: these were the people who were standing in the way of Zabuza's dream to reclaim Kiri. "Very well then," she said as she raised her senbon, "then you will die." and with that she threw senbon needles from all the mirrors faster than the captured genin could see.

- With Kakashi and Zabuza -

Kakashi finished the ritual and slammed scroll into the ground. Zabuza laughed "No matter what you're doing it won-" he was cut short as he cried out in pain. He lost some of his concentration, and the mist lightened – showing Kakashi where his opponent was.

Kakashi walked over to Zabuza to find him impaled the ground by dogs, biting his arms legs and ribs. "You can't escape this. Now, release the jutsu!"

Zabuza tried to find a way out of the mess when he felt a cold chill and smirked at Kakashi. "Sure. You want to see the demise of your students, won't you?" he said as he released _Kirigakure no Jutsu_. The fog dispersed almost immediately.

Kakashi was stunned to see a big dome of ice mirrors with Kurenai's two female students in the middle. They didn't look like he had any serious injuries – though he could see Naruto heal up, so she may have had some injuries –, but they looked exhausted.

That's when another barrage of senbon needles appeared from the mirrors. Naruto spun around as fast as she could, her water taking form of a small water twister, and surrounding her and Hinata. From where he stood, he could still see with his Sharingan that some of the needles made it through the torrent of water, imbedding themselves in the Konoha genin.

The jounin-sensei in charge looked over the bridge to see Sasuke guarding an earth dome with fuinjutsu seals on them. Mentally he raised an eyebrow, '_Has Naruto really progressed so far in her clan's jutsu?_' A cry pulled him from that train of thoughts.

"Naruto! Hinata!"

The whimpers drew his eye to the last group on the bridge. It was Kiba who had cried out. Kakashi was relieved to see that Tazuna was ok. Then he saw the horrified look on the bridge-builders face. That's when Kakashi realized how utterly destroyed some parts of the bridge was. There were big chunks of stone missing some places, and extra stone stacking up other place – very likely from the places they were missing in. At one place a whole section of the bridge had been collapsed into the water, now only one and a half meters worth of bridge connecting them to the mainland, where there used to be about eight meters. And as he looked around that part of the bridge, he could see a great deal of seals, which only confirmed his suspicions about the Uzumaki heiress.

"Argh!" Hinata cried out and dropped on one knee. Kakashi saw that she had a senbon needle deeply imbedded in her right thigh.

"Hinata!" Kiba cried again, beginning to run towards the dome. "I'm going in!" Akamaru didn't seem to agree, him biting his partners pants, trying to keep him in place. Needless to say, it didn't really work, with the white ninken being as small as he was.

"No you're not!" Naruto said – or rather commanded was the word – lightly panting. "You're going to protect Tazuna-san at all costs!"

"But-"

"Kiba!" she said while looking him in the eyes. Something unspoken went between them, because three seconds later Kiba nodded and went back to his position. He hadn't made it back before Zabuza's partner began another barrage on his teammates. The Sharingan-wielding could see how much it hurt the Inuzuka clan member not being able to help his friends – even more so _because_ he was an Inuzuka. But, fortunately enough, the sole boy of Team 8 seemed to listen to his redheaded teammate.

Kakashi was just about to ask Zabuza about the jutsu in front of him, when the missing-nin answered the unspoken question. "It's Haku's clan – the almost extinct Yuki Clan – secret jutsu: _Makyo Hyosho._ No one has ever escaped or defeated it. Even I would have trouble with it." The last statement frightened Kakashi. If the Demon of Kirigakure had trouble with a jutsu like that, what did two _genin_ – talented or not – have of a chance?

That's when someone clapped. The last ongoing fight stopped, everyone looking at who it was. Naruto's inside began to seethe as she looked at the dwarf of a man, recognizing just by the description she had been given.

"Gato!" She spat the name like it was venom.

At the end of the unfinished bridge were standing Gato and about seventy men. "Zabuza you dog! I knew you couldn't do it! Konoha shinobi, I bet you feel all high and mighty, you taking down four of Kirigakure's strongest missing-nin, huh? But guess what, I have reinforcements!" Gato yelled over the bridge. He grinned, "Well, what are you waiting for you baboons? Charge!"

- Inside the Ice Dome -

"Hinata, we need to get out of here and help the others," Naruto said, visibly agitated by the arrival of Gato, both of them looking on as the sole three Konoha shinobi charged against the small army.

"But how?"

Naruto had been thinking of this for a while now. She had hoped she never needed to resort to this, but… fate didn't seem to be kind to her. "I'm going to try and use what I used at the border."

Hinata's eyes widened as she realized what her friend was about to do. "But, Narut-"

"If I'm about to do anything that doesn't seem like me, I don't want you to hesitate to lock down my tenketsu. Promise me that," Naruto said in all seriousness. Another barrage of senbon needles began, and Naruto protected them with her water.

"But, Naruto-chan!"

"Promise me!"

"I-" Hinata said as she looked in the eyes of her best friend. They were desperate. And Hinata knew why; she didn't want any of her friends to die. She was willing to resort to use the very thing that had taken control of her body and mind last time, if it meant to save her friends. "I promise."

"Thank you," Naruto nodded. "You need to protect me while I try to summon the chakra. Use your Kaiten." She just said it in time for another barrage to ensue. Naruto closed her eyes, while Hinata jumped in front of her friend.

"_Hakkesho Kaiten!_" Hinata exclaimed as she began rotating. A blue shield of chakra appeared around her and Naruto. She winced as she felt a few of the senbon needles make it through. She knew it wasn't complete – there was a few tenketsu she hadn't full control over yet – but it was all she had for now.

- Outside the Ice Dome -

"This way! They're down at the bridge!" Inari said, leading the charge with the Konoha shinobi. He could see they didn't agree with him being there, but he had insisted.

Giichi looked worriedly at his friend's grandson. "Inari-kun, maybe you shouldn't… be… here." The villagers all stopped when they saw the condition the bridge was in, alongside the small army Gato had fighting for him. The three Konoha shinobi, however, charged even faster, soon fighting alongside Kakashi, Sasuke, and Kiba and Akamaru. "What… what is this?" Giichi asked no-one in particular.

"We should never have come here!" one villager said.

"This was a mistake!" Another said.

Inari could only glare at them. "Then go back! I'm going!" the small island-resident said, and began running in with his crossbow. By far the larger part of the villager charged with him. However one of Gato's other hired shinobi saw them. He nodded to what appeared to be his partner, and they both went through hand seals.

"_Katon: Karyu Endan!_"

"_Fuuton: Kami Oroshi!_"

The Katon and Fuuton ninjutsu combined, creating an enormous fire vortex, moving towards the villagers. They were so occupied with it, that they didn't feel the large amount of demonic chakra released. They didn't see the Ice-dome shatter, the fake hunter-nin faint, or the flash of red as the Uzumaki heiress moved in front of them. They only noticed all this when she shouted.

"_**SUITON!**__"_

She raised her right leg stepping hard on the bridge, causing another tremor. The occupants on the bridge stopped when they heard the roar of the ocean grown stronger. They saw as quantities of water, unheard of being controlled, moved in front of the redhead and build a wall of water. The strong fire-vortex didn't even make a dent, as the ocean all took over for it.

"Naruto-neechan!" Inari said. Naruto looked behind her, and Inari gasped as he saw the red-slit eyes. He calmed down right after, though, as he saw the smile on her lips. That didn't help on her voice though.

"**Inari-kun, stay here with the villagers**," she said as she the wall parted. She walked through it, taking a small portion of the water with her, before the wall closed again leaving the villagers behind it. They were all looking in awe at the feat the redheaded genin had achieved, and could only listen to her: There was no way in hell they could get through that water.

- With Naruto -

"Naruto-chan," Hinata asked Naruto carefully. "Are you ok?" Naruto looked at Hinata. The redhead could clearly feel the chakra running through her, alongside the adrenaline making her feel like she could do anything. But… the chakra didn't have the mind-numbing effect it had last time. All she thought about was saving her friends.

"**Yeah**," the demon-eyed genin said in a rough voice that made the Hyuuga heiress wince. "**It's… hard to describe but… I'm still me**." She took something from her pouch and gave it to Hinata. When she looked at it she saw it was _a lot_ more fuinjutsu papers. "I knock them out, you seal them," was all the redhead said before charging. Hinata quickly put one on the Hyoton-user, sealing the girl to the bridge, before following after her best friend. She was in awe of what she saw: the water acted almost like tentacles or tails – nothing like when she used her Odoru mizu no megami – knocking out opponents, tripping them, and blocking their attacks. All that without the Kyuubi jinchuuriki looking.

As she made it to the Gato's army she heard the dictator's voice over all the fighting. "I knew you couldn't do it Zabuza! Well, good riddance. I wasn't planning on paying you anyway!"

"WHAT!?" Zabuza yelled. "I SWEAR, GATO, I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!"

Hinata ignored it and quickly began to seal away the knocked out 'baboons', while taking down the one she saw wasn't taken down. Kiba soon came over to her.

"Naruto? Is she really ok? Isn't that the Kyuubi's chakra?" he asked in a _very _worried voice, as he and his partner took down a genin-level shinobi. Hinata quickly went over and put a seal on her.

"Yeah, she's in control," the Hyuuga heiress said with pride. She gave Kiba half the papers, "You know what to do, right?"

"Of course," Kiba said offended. They had, after all, trained for a situation like this.

"**You are not getting away!**" Naruto's rough voice sounded. The two other members of Team 8 looked to see what she was talking about: as the numbers of Gato's men had drastically fallen to under half its original size, Gato had began running away. Naruto would have none of that, and quickly appeared in front of him.

Gato fell on his ass, his right hand trying to shield him – as if that would help. "Please, don't kill me! I'll give you anything you want! I'll pay you any amount!"

Naruto laughed, making chills running down on the collective spine of everyone. "**I'm not going to kill you, Gato! You're a pathetic man, and you don't deserve the sweet embrace of death! No… I'll take you to Konoha where you will be tried! You will see the tyrant empire you have build up, be destroyed!**" With that one of the tentacles/tails hit him hard in the back of his head, effectively knocking him out. Naruto put her right hand on his forehead, and when she pulled it away, the same kanji as was on the paper-slips were there. He was sealed to the bridge. She turned towards the rest of Gato's army. "**Drop your weapons and surrender! NOW!**"

Needless to say, with their leader defeated, and no chance of getting payment, they listened to her. The fuinjutsu papers were quickly given to the present shinobi, and they went around sealing them. Team 8 and Team 7 had effectively won what later would be know in Nami no Kuni as Hashi no Tatakai.

* * *

- Two Weeks Later -

With the threat of Gato gone, Nami no Kuni was as a whole 'nother country. With what little they had, people celebrated the end of the tyrant, and the villagers celebrated the shinobi from Konoha as heroes. Especially Naruto, which most of them had seen take down two thirds of Gato's army, Gato himself, and protected them from death, was seen as the heroine that saved their island-nation. Tazuna was so happy he even let it slip that Naruto had destroyed so much of the bridge in the process.

Four ANBU teams from Konoha had gotten there three days later, alongside an ANBU team from Kiri. Kiri was allowed to take Zabuza and Haku back to Kiri, under the promise that they wouldn't get killed, or, in Haku's case, used as to breeding to 'revive' her clan. The Konoha shinobi knew that the promise didn't hold much, but Konoha didn't want to have any skirmishes with Kiri. With that done, the ANBU from Konoha took Gato and his now destroyed army back to Konoha, where they would be tried in front of the Hokage and the Village Council.

Two weeks after Hashi no Tatakai the bridge was build, and the two Konoha teams had gotten the honor of being the first people to use it. Team 7 and Team 8 stood at the entrance to the newly finished bridge, prepared to get back to Konoha after weeks of being away from home. The mission had taken a bit longer than they had anticipated, and they were all eager to get home – some more than others. To bid them goodbye were all the islanders leaded by Inari, Tazuna and Inari.

Inari was sobbing lightly, seeing his new heroine and big sister go away. Naruto kneeled down beside him, and he tried stop crying. "I have to stop crying, heroes don't cry!"

Naruto smiled softly at Inari – a smile that she didn't give many. "It's ok to cry when you're happy. It just shows that you're human. And even heroes and heroines are human." Inari nodded and succumbed to full-out crying. "There, there," the redhead said. "I got something for you before I go home," she said and got out a slip of paper. Inari looked at it with teary eyes; two ordinary kanji was on it, but he didn't know what they said, since he couldn't read. "It says strong," she said and pointed at the top kanji, "and proud," she said pointing at the lower kanji. "As long as you have this, and sleep under it, nothing bad will happen to you."

Inari accepted the gift, "Thank you!" and began crying for earnest again. Naruto smiled again and hugged him goodbye and got up. She looked at the two pillars standing at the entranced and turned to Tazuna. "Tazuna-san, if you don't mind, I have a last gift I want to give you."

"Eh? Sure, go ahead. As long as you don't destroy the bridge again!" Tazuna said jokingly.

With that Naruto made a kage bunshin, she going to one of the pillars, the clone going to the other. Everyone, including her fellow shinobi, looked as she and her clones put their hands on the pillars and closed their eyes. Slowly but surely a kanji appeared on each of them. As she opened her eyes, the right pillar said 'Strength' as the left said 'Pride'. She looked at the villagers, focusing on the Bridge-Builder. "Now everyone will know what foundation this bridge was built on. Since it's the stone itself that has changed pigment, it won't ever fade."

With tears in his eyes, Tazuna _hugged_ the redhead, shocking both her and his family. "Thank you, Naruto." She nodded at him and got back to her team.

The Konoha Shinobi bid their goodbyes and began their journey home. Standing back was the bridge builder and his family.

Tazuna were smiling at the sight of Inari; he had gotten his grandson back. "Hey, we haven't named the bridge yet"

Inari was looking at the fading vision of Team 7 and 8, "I think I have an idea"

"Oh, really?" Tazuna asked, already having a hunch

"'The Great Uzumaki Bridge'," Inari said as it was obvious. "Naruto always said that she took great pride in her clan, even if it's long gone. This way, we can remind the world what they were." Several of the islanders voiced their agreement

Tazuna scratched his chin. "'The Great Uzumaki Bridge', huh? Well, the name has given her plenty of luck. It should serve out bridge well".

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry! It was really mean of me to make you wait so long for an update – especially after that cliffhanger. But as I said, I would write it in a few days, if nothing with school came up. And guess what? Something with school came up. More like four somethings, each requiring a minimum of seven pages, and one of them requiring fifteen pages. Sigh. Anywayyy… Now that you finally got your battle chapter, I expect lots and lots of reviews ;). Wink, wink, hint, hint.

And I hope you're happy! The Battle of the Bridge filled almost 10k words, also counting the last chapter! So I hope you all got the battle you wanted!

Before anything is said, that Naruto already released her seals in the last chapter, I will remind you that she only _lowered_ them. There is no reason to go all-out if you can help not to do it. Strategy is a bitch, I know ;). Also, no; Sasuke didn't activate his Sharingan here. He wasn't up against Haku, and not in anything that resembled the danger he was in in canon. He will get it before the chunin exams (or during), but chances are that we won't see the moment he does activate it.

As, hopefully, you can see, if I hadn't cut the fight up into two chapters, the chapter would probably be about 14k-15k words. That's about thrice as much as a normal chapter. So I don't regret it :).

I must be honest, there were some paragraphs I had trouble writing, but I got through it. I want to show that Naruto is rather strong, but not overly so.

As I think I mentioned last time, I will try to keep the updates on Sundays, meaning that the next chapter should be uploaded 27th of January. I can't promise anything (I kinda did with this chapter, and see where that got me), but I will strife after that goal.

On a completely other note (you can stop reading now if you don't want to read something unrelated to this story); I've been thinking about starting another story… A Harry Potter story. Of course, it's still gender bender time xd. I haven't thought that much of it yet, but it will be something like 'Meredith Lily Evans Potter', and she will be paired with Cedric Diggory (which will only be a year older than her, instead of three years older). And she will be sorted in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw (though I'm tilting towards Gryffindor). Oh, and she will look like her mother. A lot. And she will have a lot of magic in her :). Well, that's really it. You're welcome to PM me with what you think (I don't think the reviews on this story should be used on that), though I really won't listen to flames. Constructive criticism I always welcome.

Well, that was really all for this time. I hoped you enjoyed this giant chapter!

Until Next Time :)

**Iryo Ninjutsu - (****医療忍術****)****, Iryo Ninjutsu; Literally meaning "Medical Ninja Techniques":** is a branch of ninjutsu associated with healing, as well as the manipulation of their own, or another's' body, practiced by shinobi categorized as "medical-nin". The use of medical ninjutsu requires very good chakra control, as well as extensive knowledge on such things as herbs, medicines, the human body and even poisons.

The knowledge of medical ninjutsu can be used for a variety of purposes apart from pure healing, such as creating and treating poisons as seen with Shizune who uses her extensive medical knowledge to create a poisonous gas, performing autopsies or surgeries, or attacking a person's body directly, deranging the target's nervous system or sending them into a comatose state by overriding their body with chakra. Medical Ninjutsu in itself can also be used offensively, witnessed in Kabuto Yakushi's use of chakra scalpels in battle, overriding his opponent's body with medical chakra and Tsunade has also demonstrated the ability to use medical ninjutsu offensively as shown when she attempted to use medical ninjutsu to kill Orochimaru. Tsunade, renowned as the greatest medical-nin in the world, was able to apply the extreme chakra control required for medical ninjutsu to create chakra-enhanced strength, an ability she taught to her student, Sakura Haruno.

**Odoru mizu no megami – The Dancing Water-Goddess**

**Shotei – Palm Bottom / Palm Heel Strike:** This attack consists of a quick, precise thrust of the users' palm to an opponent's body. Like other Gentle Fist techniques, it sends chakra into the target to cause internal damage which could temporarily paralyze an opponent.

**Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu - Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique:** This technique creates a volley of small fireballs, which are sent flying in an unpredictable manner assaulting the enemy. In addition, the flames are controlled one by one with chakra, so avoiding them all is extremely difficult. Shuriken can also be concealed within the flames, creating an unexpected secondary surprise attack. Like the flames, the shuriken can be controlled with chakra. For the most part, however, this technique is used as a distraction.

**Hyoton – Ice Release:** Hyoton is the advanced nature kekkei genkai of the Yuki clan, and allows the users to combine Suiton and Fuuton chakra to create ice which they can manipulate through willpower alone. The ice Haku created was resistant to fire-based attacks, only melting slightly when coming into contact with Sasuke's flames. Using this special ability, Haku developed the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, which allowed her to create any number of floating mirrors made of ice to use as a shield or trap an opponent.

Haku mentioned that having nearby water is an advantage, as he can simply freeze that water to create ice.

**Kori no Yoroi – Ice Armor:** This jutsu allows the user to become encased in a thin sheet of ice to protect herself from blunt force trauma. This armor can also aid the user in performing stronger physical attacks. The ice is transparent and can only be noticed by light reflecting off it.

**Hyoton: Senbon no Hari – Ice Release: Frost Senbon Needles:** Haku freezes surrounding water and shapes them into frost senbon.

**Doton: Doryuuheki - Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall: **The user creates a solid wall of earth as a form of defense. Chakra is either converted to earth within the body and then spat out to form the wall or the user can manipulate pre-existing earth to form the wall. The earth then instantly rises up and takes form. The barrier itself is also coated with chakra, making its strength incomparable to that of a normal mud wall. Because of the earth's special characteristics, the wall is highly resistant against, for instance, fire and water. Also, for a Kage-class shinobi it is possible to create a vast volume of earth. When used by Kakashi, he creates a wall composed of bulldog sculptures.

**Hyoton: Reito Ryu - Ice Style: Frozen Dragon Jutsu:** The user freezes a body of water and shapes it into a dragon that will do the users bidding. Can be used as a means to travel or to fight.

**Makyo Hyosho - Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals:** The abominable and tremendous ability, passed down only within the Yuki clan. The "Kekkei Genkai: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals" is a technique wrapped up in many mysteries. It was said that no method in existence can defeat this technique. In an instant, multiple mirrors of ice are created around the enemy, reflecting nothing but Haku. The opponent is trapped in a dome of twenty-one floating mirrors made out of ice. Twelve remain at ground level, eight float above the first twelve and angled toward the ground, and the final mirror is above the rest and facing the ground. Once Haku has entered the mirrors, it's possible for her to move between the mirrors at the speed of light. It's impossible to see attacks send out from this literal light speed movement. As every mirror shows his reflection, one could say it's impossible to see all of Haku's attacks. Even if the opponent tries to attack the real body, Haku will have already moved to another mirror. Without eyes like the Sharingan, it will be impossible to keep track of him.

If the mirror Haku is in is broken, he can leap out of one of the fragments and continue his attack or move to another mirror. The technique requires a large amount of chakra to maintain, so Haku's movement becomes progressively slower the longer he maintains the mirrors.

Haku can also form individual mirrors, not restricted to the twenty-one-mirror formation. He can create them high in the sky allowing him to take out airborne targets. The cold which emanates from the mirrors is also enough to cause snow to fall. Though they are made from ice, the mirrors are resistant to Katon techniques.

**Fuin Kai – Seal Release**

**Suiton: Kyonyu Mizurappa – Water Release: Big Water Trumpet:** A larger and more chakra consuming version of _Suiton: Mizurappa_.

**Suiton: Mizurappa – Water Release: Water Trumpet:** The user launches a large jet of water from their mouth through their hand. This gives the appearance of playing a trumpet, hence the name.

**Hakkesho Kaiten - Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven:** A secret taijutsu that is orally handed down only within the main house of the Hyuuga, this technique utilizes the chakra control gained through Juukenpo training to release a huge amount of chakra from all the chakra points on the user's body. It is also a defensive maneuver to compensate for the Byakugan's blind spot as the released chakra blocks any possible attack on the user. After releasing chakra from every tenketsu in their body, the user then spins rapidly to parry the attack, both creating a rotating shield of chakra around themselves and tossing away any nearby attackers. The user can also actively control the size and power of the sphere to suit the situation. This technique is only effective when rotating, since the chakra itself is not enough to stop a physical attack thus if they cannot spin, the user becomes vulnerable.

**Katon: Karyu Endan - Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet:** The user kneads their chakra into flames, which are then manipulated into a genuine-looking dragon. Since the art of having the flames obey the user's will is outrageously difficult, its mastery is restricted to a limited number of skilful shinobi. The flames are divided to launch a left side, right side, and frontal assault in all three directions at once, turning the enemy into ash in a matter of seconds.

**Fuuton: Kami Oroshi – Wind Release: Godly Wind from the Mountain:** This technique creates a vortex of cutting wind to blast at a target. It can be combined with a Katon jutsu to create a fire Vortex.

**Hashi no Tatakai – Battle of the Bridge**


	22. Her Teacher's Decision

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Crazydoglover:** Glad you liked it. Yeah, this chapter was the longest I have written in quite a while. I thought about splitting it up again, but went against it.

Zabuza and Haku didn't die, no, but they were thoroughly beaten. I won't say if they will pop up in the story again anytime soon - mostly because I haven't decided. That's why I left their fates so vague: it can go either way.

This fight was a pretty good measure to see how strong Naruto was. Without the Kyuubi, she probably wouldn't have been able to escape the Ice Dome. Just before that, she had to go close to full out against the Ice Dragons. Of course, she will have time to train before the chunin exams…

**Will:** Well, I can't make everyone happy. Hopefully the chapter wasn't fully crappy, in your opinion.

But I can't understand why people still think she will get a kekkei genkai: I will say it again, Naruto will NOT get some all-powerful kekkei genkai – or even a small one. Her incredible high affinity for the Suiton element, plus her being a jinchuuriki, and will become a seal master, will make her more than powerful enough.

As for her just lowering her seals at the start: You don't just go all out on an enemy you don't know anything about. You measure them out, try to match their power, and then try to take them by surprise. That's just my opinion, of course.

**Ladygoddess8:** I don't know about her settling as a woman yet (she will still have a lot of boy trouble with Kiba ;)), but she surely is settling as a kunoichi.

It may be a bit sad, her returning to a place of hatred, after almost being worshipped in Nami no Kuni, but you can also see it as her coming back to Konoha as a 'new and improved me'. And, as you pointed out, she has her team now. And we cannot forget the many people from her year (Shikamaru, Chouji, Shino, Tenten, Lee) that now is starting to accept her.

Anko will come into the picture (maybe sooner rather than later) as we'll see some of the story unfold from 'Kurenai POV'.

**Irissen:** I'm happy you love the battle: I put a great deal of thought into it. I wanted to make it a bit different (there are so many fics with it on this site), but still recognizable. I think I balanced it pretty well. I can say that my favorite moment is probably when Hinata is running up the ice-dragon to strike Haku with 'Shotei'. I just got such a strong picture in my mind when I wrote that.

The Chunin exams will be interesting. I think I'll try to pretty much gloss over the Second part of the exam. Something about writing when they entered the forest, and when they reached the tower a little while later. Team 8 won't meet Orochimaru, since he doesn't know much about Naruto's skills, and he is after Sasuke. That, of course, also means that Naruto won't get that disruption seal on her... seal. Though, she could probably see that it had been tampered with now, and told Hiruzen. No matter; it won't happen.

Yeah, that's one thing I don't like about Naruto: that almost everything he does is to bring Sasuke back. So I decided I won't have that in this story. Sasuke WILL betray the leaf, but as I've said, Naruto won't be in Konoha at the time. Kiba will however. And he will be just as hurt as he is in canon. So, now try to imagine Naruto's reaction when she finds out what happened to Kiba (which at that time SHOULD have progressed to a more romantic stage in their relationship) when she gets back to Konoha. I'm looking forward to that scene.

**Chapter 22:** Her Teacher's Decision

* * *

"_Eh? Sure, go ahead. As long as you don't destroy the bridge again!" Tazuna said jokingly._

_With that Naruto made a kage bunshin, she going to one of the pillars, the clone going to the other. Everyone, including her fellow shinobi, looked as she and her clones put their hands on the pillars and closed their eyes. Slowly but surely a kanji appeared on each of them. As she opened her eyes, the right pillar said 'Strength' as the left said 'Pride'. She looked at the villagers, focusing on the Bridge-Builder. "Now everyone will know what foundation this bridge was built on. Since it's the stone itself that has changed pigment, it won't ever fade."_

_With tears in his eyes, Tazuna hugged the redhead, shocking both her and his family. "Thank you, Naruto." She nodded at him and got back to her team._

_The Konoha Shinobi bid their goodbyes and began their journey home. Standing back was the bridge builder and his family._

_Tazuna were smiling at the sight of Inari; he had gotten his grandson back. "Hey, we haven't named the bridge yet"_

_Inari was looking at the fading vision of Team 7 and 8, "I think I have an idea"_

_"Oh, really?" Tazuna asked, already having a hunch_

_"'The Great Uzumaki Bridge'," Inari said as it was obvious. "Naruto always said that she took great pride in her clan, even if it's long gone. This way, we can remind the world what they were." Several of the islanders voiced their agreement_

_Tazuna scratched his chin. "'The Great Uzumaki Bridge', huh? Well, the name has given her plenty of luck. It should serve out bridge well"._

* * *

"I do so not need this right now," Kurenai mumbled to herself while rubbing her temples, her eyes closed. She took a deep breath and the warm damps from her tea seemed to calm her nerves somewhat. She opened her eyes and looked at her surroundings. The famous dango-shop of Konoha was rather empty, the cause probably being the early time of the afternoon. It was nice and relaxing; just what she needed after such a long and straining mission. What she didn't need was what the old, and right now she was pretty damn sure he was also demented, Hokage had asked her to consider.

"Come on Kurenai-chan! It can't be as bad as you make it out to be! Spill your guts with all that girly-talk-shit you like to do, and Anko here will solve all your problems in a heartbeat," it came loudly from beside Kurenai as she was slapped on the back, the loudness drawing angry looks from the other customers in the small restaurant.

Kurenai looked at the snake summoner with a half-smile on her lips as she looked at whom could only be described as her closest friend; Mitarashi Anko. Anko's eyes were lit up with carefreeness as always, as she was laughing away. "You know," Kurenai said calmly, the complete opposite of her friend, "if you keep shouting like that, the owners are going to kick you out."

"Never!" it came wildly from Anko as she knocked over a glass, its contents spilling over the table. "You know as well as I that it's my money that keeps this shop afloat!" The snake mistress poked the sensei of Team 8 in the shoulder, "and I know what you're doing; don't try to change the subject. You've been like this ever since you came back from that mission in Nami no Kuni."

"Which was earlier today," Kurenai drawled out.

"Pft, details," Anko said, waving her hand in the air. "What matters is that _something_ happened that has you all serious and gloomy – and I seriously don't like seriousness…"

"Would've never guessed that," Kurenai laughed under her breath.

"OR gloominess," Anko said pointedly, letting the small comment go. "From what I heard your small slaves kicked ass!"

"Students," Kurenai corrected her friend, but she just kept going.

"You should be out drinking your behind off, celebrating that you're such an awesome teacher, with awesome slaves!" Anko finished, again drawing angry looks from the room, some parents shielding their children from the foul-mouthed lady. Anko being Anko either didn't notice, or couldn't care less; she was all about Kurenai in that moment.

"So…" Anko said in a singsong-voice. "Spill!"

"Argh," Kurenai facepalmed, knowing the former student of the Snake-Sannin wouldn't let this go. "Fine! It wasn't exactly the mission that has me like this. It's what happened when we reported back to Hokage-sama…"

- Flashback, earlier that day -

"_I see…" it came from the Sandaime Hokage. He puffed a bit on his pipe before continuing "Well, I'm happy that you're all OK. You will all get the appropriate pay, and I will make sure that it will be written as an A-rank in all of your files… And for Team 8 that will also account for your mission to the Borderlands."_

_The three members of Team 8 nodded satisfied to each other. Their involvement in the Borderland incident wasn't widely known – and why should it? They were shinobi – but it was nice to get some kind of thanks for getting Hi no Kuni a big slap of land, and from Tsuchi no Kuni nonetheless._

_The members of Team 7 however – or rather Sakura and Sasuke – looked less than pleased that their rival team had done another A-rank. Sure, they had lit up with excitement, as much as Sasuke can light up, when their Hokage had told them that the mission would be written as an A-rank… but that quickly faltered to scowls aimed towards the strong genins of Team 8. None of the other shinobi in the room missed it, and Kiba being Kiba sent a quick scowl back at them. The two senseis shared worried looks with each other and Hiruzen, but the moment quickly passed._

_The Sarutobi Hokage continued as if he hadn't noticed the small exchange. "For now you can take a week off. And before you complain it's because I have something I need Kurenai and Kakashi for. Besides, you," he nodded towards Team 8, "more than deserve a break. If my memory serves correctly you took off towards Nami no Kuni after a full day of missions and training." None of them objected, thank god, and he reached into the drawer and gave each of them the pay. It wasn't money, as Team 7 had been used to. What he handed them was labeled envelopes, each wearing the Konoha crest. They could be exchanged for mission payment at any of Konoha's banks, as they would get paid in return by the end of each month._

"_Good then. You're all dismissed," the old Hokage said, waving his hand dismissively._

_Team 7 along with their sensei began moving out of the office, quickly disappearing from sight, but Team 8 didn't move. Kurenai coughed into her hand and gestured towards the Hokage, looking intensely at the Uzumaki heiress. Naruto sighed mentally, hoping to avoid this particular conversation. But she didn't let it show as she spoke up._

"_Hokage-sama, I and my teammates will need to speak to you without…. Prying eyes," Naruto spoke clearly. It didn't take a genius to guess that she was referring to the ANBU guarding the office, hidden from sight to but the most skilled of shinobi._

_Hiruzen didn't hesitate a second. He knew her surrogate-granddaughter was a capable shinobi, and wouldn't request an audience with him in the middle of the day, if it wasn't important. He nodded at two locations, wherefrom ANBU appeared before disappearing again only a fraction of a second after. He walked over to the door, and activated a hidden Privacy Seal, chuckling as he realized this was probably the only genin team in Konoha he wouldn't have to explain to what it did. He turned towards the three genin and their sensei, "So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"_

_Naruto took a settling breath as she began. "When we gave our rapport, we had to… edit it a little due to the presence of Team 7." She looked directly into the eyes of the old man she saw as her family in every way but blood. "During the mission I told Hinata and Kiba about the Kyuubi no Yoko, and me being its jinchuuriki. Also, I accidently drew upon the Kyuubi's powers during the battle on the bridge – That was how I broke myself and Hinata out of the Hyoton-user's ice dome, and how I managed to manipulate that much water. Not the lie we told Team 7, that I used some secret Uzumaki seal."_

_Hiruzen starred wide-eyed with disbelief at the redhead as Kiba grinned at her, pushing her lightly with his elbow. "Well," the Inuzuka said in a slight singsong voice, "if you're technical about it, you did actually use a seal to draw on the Kyuubi's power. And, as you said, the seal is made from studying your clan's fuinjutsu."_

"_That's right," Hinata said with a teasing light in her pale eyes, quickly catching on to where Kiba was going. "You did use a seal, and it is a secret Uzumaki seal. So we didn't lie: you did use some secret Uzumaki seal."_

_A small smile tucked on the redheads lips as she looked at her friends. "I guess so."_

_The disbelief in the old Hokage's face slowly disappeared, love and adoration taking its place. He looked Kurenai who nodded at him, the same emotions playing in her own eyes, alongside with furious pride: these were her students, and she was damn proud of being their teacher._

"_Well," Hiruzen said coughing lightly. "I can't say I'm not surprised. What I can say is that I'm incredible proud of all of you."_

"_What? Had you expected us running screaming away from the big bad Naruto as soon as we found, as all the idiotic villagers seems to be doing?" Kiba asked mockingly._

"_Kiba!" Kurenai scolded. She then turned towards her superior. "It's great that Hinata and Kiba now knows – and accepts – Naruto being a jinchuuriki, but it's still… troubling that it's becoming so easy to draw on the Kyuubi's powers…" She saw Naruto moving uncomfortably. Clearly, even when she was in presence of people who accepted her completely, it still wasn't a subject she liked to talk about for long._

"_Indeed it is," the old man agreed, scribbling something down on a paper. "But it's nothing that can be solved today. Naruto, Kiba, Hinata; you are free to leave. I still have something I need to discuss with Kurenai."_

"_Hai," the three tired genin replied and walked out of the office._

"_They really are something," Hiruzen said smiling. "Probably some of the strongest genins in Konoha." Kurenai had been smiling at first, but her eyes narrowed at the last part. And the exams __**were**__ coming up…_

"_Please tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking," Kurenai half begged._

"_Well, if you think I'm thinking of having them in the chunin exams, then I can't do that."_

_Kurenai's eyes widened. "But they're __**fresh**__ genin! Konoha hasn't had any of her fresh genin in the Chunin Exams in… ages!"_

"_True, but they aren't just any genin, and this isn't just any exam," the old Hokage said gravely. He leaned forward towards the female sensei, "rumors are that alongside Kazekage-dono, Mizukage-dono will be attending."_

"_**Mizukage-sama**__!?" Now Kurenai had to sit down. The kage of the isolated nation of Mizu no Kuni hadn't left the country since the time of the Nidaime Hokage. So why?_

"_Indeed," Hiruzen nodded. "The few spies we have in Kirigakure says that since the death of the Yondaime Mizukage, and the selection of the Godaime Mizukage, the village has tried to change, trying to get rid of its bloody past."_

"_But what does that has to do with my students participating in the Exams?"_

_Hiruzen stood up and walked to a window, looking over the village that was his to protect. "Three of the five Kage will be here in Konoha. That will attract even more nobles, even more potential clients. Furthermore, I want to impress the new Mizukage. If all go as planned, we should be on the way to forming an alliance with them."_

"_And as you said, Team 8 is one of Konoha's strongest genin teams," the Yuhi-jounin sighed. "I don't know what to say."_

_Hiruzen moved back to his chair. "You know I can't force this decision – and neither will I. In the end, __**you**__ are their teacher, and you know their skills best – you know whether they are ready or not. But I had to tell you how much is at stake here."_

- Flashback End -

"…and I have until this evening to decide, where Hokage-sama will reveal the final date of the exam," the red-eyed kunoichi finished her small tale.

Beside her Anko was literally jumping in her seat. "Oh, you so have to submit them!"

Kurenai shot her friend an incredulous look. "Haven't you heard a word I've said? And why are you so keen on idea of me submitting them?"

"Because then I can torture the little buggers," she laughed. "Guess who will be the examiner for the second exam?"

"No," Kurenai gasped. "You?"

"That's right."

"Well, it's final then. They won't be participating."

"Aww, come on! Don't ruin my fun," Anko pouted. Then, in a rare turn of events, she actually turned serious. "_Why_ are you so afraid of letting them participate in the exams? Not many fresh genins get the Hokage's approval of entering."

"And there's a reason for that," Kurenai sighed. "I know they're strong – stronger than most genin – but it's because they _have_ to be. I mean, look at their _only_ two mission outside the village? Both _C_-ranked missions turned _A_-rank. Bad luck follows them like a hungry puppy follows a piece of bacon."

"But what could happen in the chunin exams that could be that bad? I mean, they will only be against genins, no super-powered nuke-nin. I mean, what are the chances of some all-powerful shinobi with a grudge against the leaf will sneak into the exams, and attack a bunch of genin?"

Kurenai sighed, once again. "I don't know… I just don't know…"

* * *

Naruto walked out of Higarashi Weapon Shop, fully stocked up after a tough mission. To her surprise, she had actually hoped that the brown-haired girl from Team 9 was there… Tenten she was pretty sure her name had been. It had bummed her out when Kaito had told her that his daughter was out on an extended mission, and wouldn't be returning for at least a few days – not that she had shown she had been bummed out. The Uzumaki heiress had quickly walked through the store, stocking up on fuinjutsu paper, kunai and shuriken.

She jumped to the roofs, ignoring the glares she was getting from the passerby's. She couldn't help but remember back the last few days in Nami no Kuni where the looks of the population had been very different – instead of looks of hate and mistrust, she had received looks of admiration and awe. Some would probably think that it would make her want to run away from Konoha, but it did the opposite to her: she wanted to receive such looks _here_, in her home.

Naruto was on the way back home when she felt a familiar chakra-pattern – one she hadn't seen in a while. It was in presence of two others, and it wasn't hard for the whiskered girl to guess who those two were. She smiled as she took in the direction of the chakra. Soon enough she heard the voices belonging to the persons she was trying to locate.

"I really don't think it's a good idea," a worried girl's voice sounded from the alley.

There was a large sniff, and a boy's voice spoke up. "I agree with Moegi. You have heard stories at how mad she can get! Besides, she _did _warn you that if you did anything like that-"

"Yeah, I know I know. If I do anything perverted, she will make sure I won't have children, blah blah blah. But how can she find out? You aren't going to tell her, and I'm certainly not," a third voice cut him off – also a boys voice. By now Naruto could see them from her vantage on the roof, but decided not to reveal her presence. She smiled as she observed Konohamaru and his friends; Moegi and Udon. She had only met Konohamaru's friends a few times before, but she had decided she liked them.

"You want to see my jutsu or not? If not, I'm just going to find someone else to show it off it to!" Konohamaru said impatient as ever. The Uzumaki heiress raised her right eyebrow, '_So, what jutsu have you been practicing now? Maybe the __**Bunshin no Jutsu**__?_' Moegi sighed and Udon facepalmed, as a 'fine' and 'ok' came from them.

"Here goes, then!" it came happily from the grandson of the Sandaime Hokage. "_Oiroke no Jutsu!_" A puff of smoke engulfed the boy, and was replaced with… a very naked image of Naruto herself, wisps of smoke covering certain areas. But it wasn't completely Naruto: Konohamaru's illusion didn't have the whisker marks, and her assets had gotten exaggerated by… _a lot_. Naruto was shocked the first few seconds, not believing what she was seeing. That shock turned into anger – anger she hadn't felt in months –, forgetting all about morals and laws: Konohamaru was going to pay!

"See, I really got the jutsu down! I bet I will be able to knock out any… one…" he trailed off when he felt a murderous aura behind him. A puff of smoke and a very scared Konohamaru looked up, only to see 'The Ice Princess of Konoha'. Because, this certainly wasn't his 'Naruto-neechan'.

"Konohamaru," Naruto said in a calm and cold voice that send shivers down Konohamaru's spine, while she cracked the fingers. "I warned you." And she lunged for him.

"ARGHHH! I'M SORRY NARUTO-NEECHAN! I PROMISE I WILL NEVER DO IT AGAIN!" the Sarutobi clan-member screamed, as he ran for his life out of the alley. But the Uzumaki heiress wouldn't listen, all reason gone from her. "PLEASE!"

"Naruto-neechan! Don't do it!" Moegi shouted as they ran after the two down the street, which was – most fortunately – deserted of people.

Naruto and Konohamaru turned a corner, and the boy, too busy looking into the eyes of what he was sure was the Deathgod Shinigami itself, ran right into someone. She heard a 'humph' as Konohamaru fell on his ass. All her anger faded away, as the boy – only a little older than Naruto – picked the village's namesake up by his long scarf.

"Well well well, what do we have here? A little brat going somewhere he shouldn't," the boy Konohamaru had run into said. He was wearing a black and baggy full body suit, with a red and yellow circle in front. To top the look off he also wore a black hood with cat-like ears on it. What caught Naruto's attention was the hitai-ate on his forehead. Naruto narrowed her eyes, '_Suna… I guess they're here for the chunin exams. But that doesn't mean they can go around and do whatever they want'_.

"Konohamaru!" Moegi and Udon cried as they had just turned the corner.

The Suna-shinobi tightened his grip. "That hurt, brat."

"Stop it. We're going to get scolded later. We're not in Suna anymore," a female voice came from behind the foreigner. Naruto took a look at her, '_At least not all Suna-shinobi are idiots'_. She had dark green eyes, and dark blond hair, which was gathered in four ponytails. She was wearing a single light purple-colored, off-the-shoulders garment that extended to halfway down her thighs, with a scarlet sash tied around her waist. Under her clothes Naruto noticed she had incorporated fishnet worn over her shoulders and legs. Around her neck she wore her hitai-ate, sporting the hourglass-like symbol of Sunagakure no Sato.

Naruto stepped forward, secretly releasing all her seals: she wasn't going to risk Konohamaru getting hurt, no matter how mad she was at him. "Your teammate is right, Suna, let go of the boy," she said in a dangerous voice that none of the Academy-students had heard before. They gulped as they knew this was Naruto in full shinobi-mode.

Kankuro looked at the redheaded girl – only stopping for a second and admired her beauty – and saw the hitai-ate. He grinned mentally '_She must be a Konoha genin. Let's have some fun'_. He stared hard at the boy in his hand. "No, I think I better teach this brat a lesson before some noisy people come around."

Temari sighed, "Kankuro, you're on your own with this. I won't be a part of this."

Kankuro ignored his sister and brought his free hand back, ready to throw a punch. That was Naruto's que; she took off as fast as she could, disappearing from sight. Before Kankuro could react The Uzumaki had wrapped her hand around his wrist and twisted it – careful only to cause pain, and not break it completely –, causing Kankuro to lose grip on Konohamaru. Naruto wasn't done; she twisted the arm behind her opponents back, while sweeping his feet, causing him to fall on his stomach. Naruto quickly summoned a kunai from a seal on her arm and pointed it at the back of the Suna genin.

"You should've listened to your teammate," the Konoha Jinchuuriki said coldly.

The Konohamaru-corpse and the Suna-genin looked in disbelief. Moegi looked careful at the two shinobi from Suna, before asking careful voice. "W-why are you here?"

Kankuro laughed mockingly, "How pathetic. You don't even know that the chunin-exams are coming up?"

Naruto tightened his grip on Kankuro's arm, causing him to wince. "Idiot! She's an Academy student, not a shinobi! And you are one to talk about being pathetic? It's true that Konoha and Suna are allies, but don't think you can do anything you want while you're here! I will need to see your passports."

Temari frowned, "And why is that"

Naruto didn't look happy and half-glared at the girl. "Even if you are here for the chunin-exams, it doesn't give you right to go around and do whatever you please. As a shinobi of Konoha I can ask any foreigner to show their passport if I find suspicion that they are a danger to anyone or anything in Konoha. Your friend here," she motioned at Kankuro, "have attacked a shinobi-in-training, the third Hokage's grandson none the less, a shinobi, and resisted giving your passports. So now, _please_, hand over your passports!"

Temari could see the whiskered girl wasn't kidding, and felt chills run down her spine when she heard who the boy her brother had almost mugged was. "Kankuro, see! That's why I told you not to do it. I'm sorry Konoha," she said bowing as deeply as she could. "Please let my brother go, and I promise you he won't be doing any more harm." She shot her brother a warning look, which immediately stopped the puppeteer from struggling.

Naruto hesitated a bit, but did as she had asked. Kankuro stood up and dusted himself off. Naruto still was less than happy with her. "And now your passports. Also the insomniac up there," she made a gesture with his head towards a tree nearby. All the people around him looked surprised up at the place.

A red-haired boy were standing upside down in the tree. "Temari, Kankuro, you are a disgrace to our village".

Temari looked a little scared. "G-Gaara."

Gaara jumped down between them and handed over his passport to Naruto. Kankuro and Temari quickly did the same.

Naruto looked through them. As they had said, they were here for the chunin-exams. Naruto's right brow lifted when she saw that they were the Kazekage's children, but that wasn't going to get them any special treatment. She searched his pouch and pulled up a pen. She channeled chakra through it to make ink and made a few notes, before handing the passports back to their owners. "You can be sure that this will be reported. I will suggest that you hold a low profile while staying in Konoha. If you pull a prank like this again I can't promise that you will be able to stay, not even for the Exams."

"I'll make sure that there won't be any more problems," Gaara said bowing lightly. The dark green eyes met the bright blue. Naruto could feel something, maybe something familiar? He couldn't be sure.

She shook it off quickly and regained her mask. "Make sure of it". Gaara nodded before taking his team with him.

Naruto kept watching out for them until she could feel their chakra leave the area. She exhaled and turned towards the Academy-Students with a small smile. "Konohamaru, are you all right? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"N-no, he didn't," he said still a little shaken. He looked at the Uzumaki heiress with awe and shot her a big smile, closing his eyes in the process. "Thank you, Naruto-neechan." Then he felt a fist coming down on his skull, pushing him to the ground. "OUCH!" He opened his eyes and rubbed the bump that was already forming.

"That was for the prank you did back in the alley! Trust me when I say if I _ever_ even _hear_ about you doing that, or anything like that jutsu, ever again, I will rip make sure you won't leave the hospital for months!" Konohamaru gulped, but relaxed when the redhead's face softened and she helped him up on his feet. "But I'm glad you're ok."

Udon and Moegi quickly joined them, overfusing her with compliments, how she was a hero and how they bet she could kick those Suna-shinobi's asses if she had wanted to. She smiled at them.

"Heya, Neechan, you want to go play shinobi?" Konohamaru asked.

She smiled at him. "Well, I don't got anything better to do."

* * *

- At Konoha's main gate -

The chunin-guards were having a busy day. The chunin-exams were coming up, and genin from all over the elemental continent were heading to Konoha to participate, and because of that there was a lot of extra work for the gate-guards. Yet another team was heading towards the gates of Konoha. But this was from Kiri, the first one they'd seen so far. And it wasn't just _any_ Kiri-shinobi

"So this is Konoha, huh? It's a lot different from… from home," Haku said. She was still getting used to the idea of having a home, and not just being on the move all the time.

"You're right. It's a lot different," Zabuza replied looking at the big gates.

"It truly is nothing like Kirigakure," a slender woman in her thirties said. The gate-guards gawked at her, not only because of her beauty, but because of the hat she was wearing: this was the Godaime Mizukage-sama, Terumi Mei! So the rumors were true…

She had green eyes, and ankle-length, auburn hair styled into a herringbone pattern at the back, a top-knot tied with a dark blue band, and with four bangs at the front. Two of the bangs were short, with one covering her right eye, while the last two were long, crossing each other on her bust, just below her chin.

She was wearing a long-sleeved, dark blue dress that falls just below the knees. It seemed to be closed at the front with a zip, and was kept open on the front-right side from the waist down. The dress only covered up to the upper part of her arms and the underside of her breasts. Underneath, she was wearing a mesh armor that covered slightly more of her upper body than her dress. She was also wearing shorts in the same color as her dress and, underneath those, mesh leggings reaching down over her knees. Around her waist, she was wearing a belt with a pouch attached to the back on the left along with high-heeled sandals and shin-guards reaching up over her knees.

"Please, Mizukage-sama, I still don't know if it's a good idea for you to come so early! The Final Exam is still over a month away!" a man, clearly her guard, said to her. He was a middle aged man with blue hair which is styled in a moused-up manner. His left eye was blue and his right eye was covered by an eye-patch. He also wore the standard striped, grey suit, with a green haori that had white trimmings that stop halfway down, over them.

"You worry too much, Ao! They can take care of business back home," Mei laughed, before turning serious. "Besides, what we mean to accomplish here takes time. If we want a alliance with Konoha, we must show them our strength, and willingness. Kirigakure has a lot to make up for, considering our 'bloody' past."

"I know…" Ao sighed. "But still, you could be in danger here."

"From what and whom? I have you and Zabuza to guard me. And in all the wars and incidents that have been, Konoha has always acted fairly. As long as we don't provoke them, they won't provoke us." Her voice was final, and Ao knew he couldn't convince the Godaime Mizukage. Not that he hadn't tried: from the moment she had told him that she was going to attend the Chunin Exams, and for how long, he had tried, but to no avail.

Haku smiled, and couldn't help but agree with her Mizukage. She hadn't seen much of the Konoha shinobi when they fought, but what she had seen impressed her. They had won that battle on the bridge, killing as few people as possible, even leaving their former employer alive. And she could still remember that redheaded girl… She hoped she was going to see her again.

Zabuza saw the smile on his favorite students face. "What are you thinking about, Haku?"

The Hyoton-user blushed as she realized she had been found out. "I was just thinking about them… And that fuinjutsu user from the bridge. I kind of hope that we bump into them."

"M-me too. You have t-talked a lot about this girl," it came from one of her teammates. His name was Kurosuki Chojuru and he was the same age as her; thirteen years old. He had short, tufty blue hair, and dark eyes. He also had pointed, shark-like teeth; a trait that Haku knew he was shy about, and wished he didn't have. He was wearing square, black-rimmed glasses connected to ear protectors, a blue pin-striped shirt, and camouflage pattern pants. Over his shirt he was wearing his hitai-ate on the front of his holster, which he uses to carry his sword. Haku was rather impressed by how well he was handling his sword; it was a big broad one: one that couldn't be light. Many had talked about that he could be the next wielder of Hiramekarei. He also had a sharp mind for tactics. But as he was now he couldn't put it to full use; he was rather shy, even with all his talent.

"I also rather look forward to seeing this kunoichi," her other teammate said with a gleam in her eye. "You do talk rather a lot about her. I must admit that I doubt a bit if she is _that_ powerful." Haku looked at her second teammate, Yoshida Ruka, with a smile. She was as polite as always, but still said her opinion. Ruka was a slim girl with fair skin and shoulder-length brown hair. She wore the standard attire of Kirigakure with a skirt and her hitai-ate on her forehead.

Ruka had been especially excited when their team had been told they were going to Konoha for the Chunin Exams. While Ruka had average taijutsu, and was great with Suiton – though nothing like Naruto, Haku had noted –, her real passion lied in Medical Ninjutsu. So coming to Konoha, the origin of the Medical system, and many of the Medical Ninjutsu, she had been out of her mind.

"That's where you are wrong," Zabuza said to his student. "Not only did that go toe to toe with Haku here, but she beat her. Given, she did get some help from her teammate, but in the end she did most of the work, and came out victorious. And you both know how strong Haku is; you have only been able to beat her when you're teamed up, and even then you lose when she uses her mirrors. That kunoichi _beat_ her mirrors… Though I have no idea how."

"She sounds s-scary… I hope I d-don't let you guys down," Chojuru said a little dejected. There was no way he would be able to stand up to such a strong kunoichi. Maybe she wouldn't be attending the Exams? But knowing his luck, she was probably Konoha's first choice…

Ruka still didn't look completely convinced. "I guess… But I still say I believe it when I see it. There's no way she would be able to beat Haku-Chan's mirrors."

Haku shook her head as her team, alongside Mei and her guard, made its way over to the booth and showed their passports. After they had gotten their approval they made their way into Konoha to find their hotel.

* * *

- In the jounin meeting lounge -

Hiruzen Sarutobi was sitting in his chair looking over all the jounin-sensei. He had already declared the chunin-exams a little over a week ago, and there was only one more thing to do. He puffed a few more times on his pipe.

"Now that the chunin-exams is soon upon us, will the jounin-sensei with this year's genin please step forward." Three jounin in the front row walked forward. "Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma. As you know, any genin who has completed more than twelve missions is eligible to enter the exam, though the new genins can only do it through your recommendations. But, as I'm sure you all know, it is rare for new genin to be in the exams. Normally the jounin-sensei in charge waits till they have completed at least a year of training," he paused, puffing on his pipe again, and letting what he had said sink in. "Is there any genin on your teams, who you think are ready?" He asked, his eyes resting on the sole kunoichi.

Kakashi moved his right arm up in a half ram seal, a tradition when nominating someone to the exams, and began restate the words for nominating. "From Team 7 that I lead, Uchiha Sasuke, Aburame Shino, and Haruno Sakura. I recommend those three to the chunin-exams under my name, Hatake Kakashi".

Murmurs ran through the room, but were soon silenced as Asuma took the same position as Kakashi had, for once not smoking. "From Team 10 that I lead, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Choji. I recommend those three to the chunin-exams under my name, Sarutobi Asuma".

The murmurs got louder, as all eyes fell on Kurenai. She gulped lightly, knowing how much was a stake here. She took a deep breath, remembering what Hiruzen and Anko had told her. Slowly, she stepped forward and got into the same position as her two collegues had been in moments before. "From Team 8 that I lead, Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Uzumaki Naruto. I recommend those three to the chunin-exams under my name, Yuhi Kurenai"

As the last of the new jounin-sensei's finished the crowd erupted in talk. Stuff like 'all three gave their recommendations!', and 'It's been a couple of years since rookies have appeared in the chunin exams' ran through the jounin. Some looked less pleased than others – Kurenai noticed Iruka in particular –, but none interjected. The old Hokage nodded. "Very well. It's settled then, Hatake Kakashi's Team 7, Yuhi Kurenai's Team 8, and Sarutobi Asuma's Team 10, will be given the chance of joining the chunin-exams." He nodded to himself, "Now that that's settled, let's move on to…"

* * *

- Next morning at the bridge -

The genin of Team 8 had to wait for about 20 minutes before their sensei appeared in a puff of smoke on the top of the bridge. All quickly tensed, as their sensei only ever had been late once, and that had only been by a few minutes. When Kurenai saw this, she smiled lightly at them.

"You can relax, there isn't anything wrong. Sorry for being late." When she saw them relax he continued. "Well, I'll get right to the point. I have recommended you all to the chunin-exams, so…" he searched his pouch and took out three application-papers. "Here, take these applications. But as I said, I have only _recommended_ you, so it's up to you guys if you want to give it a go or not." She took a deep breath, "I must admit, I had doubts about recommending you, not because of your skills, but because of what the Exams is. Think _really_ hard before you say yes or no: people die in this exam. The three genin took the applications as she continued. "If you want to participate, then you sign the papers, and meet at the Academy the first of July 3p.m, and go to room 301. That's in a week."

The genin nodded and took a look at their applications. Kurenai continued with a troubled look, "Furthermore, because the chunin exams are held here, I can't train or help you before the second exam is complete. Due to the number of foreign shinobi in the village, more Konoha-shinobi has been called to duty for patrols." She paused and looked at them all, feeling pride at what they had accomplished since they had become her students. "I don't really have anything else to say. Just… think hard before you decide, and don't take this lightly." And with that she puffed away.

As soon as Kurenai had puffed away, Kiba started jumping up and down in joy, joined by his ninken partner. Hinata leaned on the railing beside Naruto, with thoughts running through her head. She looked at her best friend worried. "Naruto, what do you think of all this?"

Kiba stopped as he saw the troubled look on Hinata's face. "Hinata, are you all right?" Akamaru bumped his head on her leg, leaning on her to show his support.

Hinata breathed deeply and looked up in the sky. "Yes… I think. But, I'm not sure if I'm ready." She looked at her teammates. "Neji-niisan and his team are also in the exams, for the first time, and they have had a lot more training than we have. We will most likely be the most inexperienced genin there, unless the others from our year join the exam, but even then, some of the most inexperienced."

That put a dampener on Kiba's outburst, as he quickly remembered Kurenai's words. '_Think hard,'_ echoed through his head. "Oh," was all he could say – very unusual for him.

"Yeah," Naruto replied, putting a hand on Hinata's shoulder, the pale-eyed girl looking down from the sky and on the whiskered girl. "But on the other hand, this is our chance to show what we got. I mean, I want to show everyone from our year that it wasn't just a fluke of luck that I graduated. I want to show everyone how strong all of us has become. I mean, don't you want to show Neji?"

Hinata smiled weakly when she thought about how Neji would react. But he also scared her… a lot. "Yeah, I guess."

"I guess it's just something we have to decide for ourselves," Kiba said with a smile on his lips. "Let's just agree that we won't blame each other for whatever we chose." He put his hand up between them. "Deal?" The two girls nodded with a smile, each of them putting their hands on top of Kiba's.

"Deal," Hinata nodded.

"It's a deal," Naruto said.

* * *

**Author's Note:** First of all I just want to thank you all very much for being patient with me, and for all the good you have wished me. It really touches me. It wasn't long after I posted the Author's Note that I was admitted to the hospital. To make a long story short, I spent 18 days of February admitted to the hospital, with a few days at home where I got worse. Turns out I had gotten an abscess, I think it's called, in my bowels, and it was pushing on some nerves so my back hurt – I hadn't seen that coming. But I'm better now, and hopefully I will stay that way (I'm taking like six pills of antibiotics a day, so hopefully I won't get bad again). Well, enough with that.

I hope you liked the chapter. I'm sorry if it's a little 'rough', but, as you know, I haven't really been writing for the last month.

I just want to point out that 'Ruka' from Haku's team, is the one we have seen some of in the Fourth Shinobi War. You can look her up on the Naruto Wikia if you want to see who she is.

Next time we will see the first exam, and possibly the second (forest part). As I've mentioned a few times before, I don't really plan on going into detail what happens inside the forest: I think I've established Team 8's strengths good enough for me to skip that.

Well, that was really all I have to say. I will try to have the next chapter up as soon as I can, hopefully latest in a week.

Until Next Time :)

**Mizu no Kuni – Land of Water:** The Land of Water (水の国, Mizu no Kuni) is composed of many islands, with each having its own unique traditions. The country's weather is typically cool and the islands are usually covered by mist. The islands themselves also feature many lakes. In some places, like the area where Haku grew up, it is very cold and snows quite a bit. The nation is oriented towards the element of water. Its government leader is the Water Daimyo.

**Bunshin no Jutsu – Clone Technique:** A ninjutsu that creates an intangible copy of one's own body, without any substance. Since the clone itself doesn't have the ability to attack, and thus can only be used to confuse the enemy, it is mainly used in combination with other ninjutsu. It's a basic technique, but depending on one's ingenuity, it can be used effectively. The clones will dissipate when they come into contact with something.

These clones can be easily distinguished by persons with Dojutsu. A person with normal eyes can also distinguish the clones from the original, since the clones do not have shadows and will not disrupt the area around themselves with their movement (i.e. won't kick up dust, crush grass, etc…).

**Oiroke no Jutsu – Sexy Technique:** A variant of the Transformation Technique, the Sexy Technique transforms the user into a naked woman, or in a bikini, typically with seductive posture.

**Hiramekarei:** Hiramekarei (ヒラメカレイ) is a double-handled sword of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

* * *

**Posted 02-01-2013**

**Author's Note:** Hey all my readers :). I just want to assure you that I'm still around, but I can't write at the moment. I've become pretty sick: my back hurts like you wouldn't believe it, and I'm currently on a slightly less strong medicine than morphine. Believe me when I say I wish this hadn't happened – I can't even get a good night's sleep – but sadly it has. I hope you will stick with me till I can write again. I shouldn't be too long, but diseases and illness' are pretty unpredictable.

When I upload the next chapter, I will replace it with this Author's Note.

Yours,

StormyRebel


	23. Her Smarts

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Will:** Thank you. There will definitely be tension in the exams, and while some things will remain the same, some other things will be very different.

**Alpenwolf:** To be completely honest, I hadn't thought of how Sasuke will react on seeing Haku. But you're most likely right; he will try to fight her, and he will most likely also want to fight Naruto.

**Gaara king of the sand:** Thank you very much for your concern :). It wasn't almost a month I was gone: it was over a month. I posted the Author's Note with the explanation the first of February I think, and I posted chapter 22 the seventh of March… so, yeah. And don't worry, I won't push myself too much. But I do got a lot of time on my hands at the moment, so there's nothing better to do than playing computer, and writing on my stories.

**Ladygoddess8:** Naruto meeting Jiraiya for the first time will be very interesting, with her hating perverts, and him being a self-proclaimed 'super-pervert'. But I disagree with you on the point of him not being the right teacher for her in the long run. While Jiraiya is a pervert, he is so much more. I was so sad when they killed him off in the series :'(.

And he won't be her _only_ teacher. I can already reveal that she will learn at least a few things from Tsunade.

**Chapter 23:** Her Smarts

* * *

_Hinata breathed deeply and looked up in the sky. "Yes… I think. But, I'm not sure if I'm ready." She looked at her teammates. "Neji-niisan and his team are also in the exams, for the first time, and they have had a lot more training than we have. We will most likely be the most inexperienced genin there, unless the others from our year join the exam, but even then, some of the most inexperienced."_

_That put a dampener on Kiba's outburst, as he quickly remembered Kurenai's words. '__**Think hard,'**__ echoed through his head. "Oh," was all he could say – very unusual for him._

"_Yeah," Naruto replied, putting a hand on Hinata's shoulder, the pale-eyed girl looking down from the sky and on the whiskered girl. "But on the other hand, this is our chance to show what we got. I mean, I want to show everyone from our year that it wasn't just a fluke of luck that I graduated. I want to show everyone how strong all of us has become. I mean, don't you want to show Neji?"_

_Hinata smiled weakly when she thought about how Neji would react. But he also scared her… a lot. "Yeah, I guess."_

"_I guess it's just something we have to decide for ourselves," Kiba said with a smile on his lips. "Let's just agree that we won't blame each other for whatever we chose." He put his hand up between them. "Deal?" The two girls nodded with a smile, each of them putting their hands on top of Kiba's. _

"_Deal," Hinata nodded._

"_It's a deal," Naruto said._

* * *

- Two days before the start of the Chunin Exams -

Even with the sun hanging low on the sky, it was burning hard down on the dunes of Kaze no Kuni. The people who grew up in the harsh terrain of the Great Desert were used to it… People who grew up in the rocky surroundings of Tsuchi no Kuni were not. This was made very clear by the small convoy of seven former Iwa-shinobi as they made their way through the sand.

"Are you sure this is wise? I hate the Uzumaki as much as the next Shirogane, but to go to_ him_-" a man halfway down the convoy started, but was cut off by the man in front.

"Enough! That Uzumaki-_bitch_ have cost us more than you could ever know! She cost us several men back a few years ago, and now she had us thrown out of Iwagakure no Sato! She even killed Tadashi…" the bulky man trailed off in silence. "I will not let my son, or any of the other Shirogane clan members that have died by the Uzumaki, go un-avenged! We will wipe the last of the Uzumaki clan from the map, finally ridding the world of their treachery. If we need to team up with a madman to do it, even if we have to destroy the Hidden Villages, then so be it!" He turned out and looked all his clansmen in the eyes. "We _WILL_ avenge our fallen comrades! We _WILL_ kill every last Uzumaki! We _WILL_ restore our honor!"

No one objected – quite the opposite. Whereas before a few the Shirogane had had doubts, their eyes were now burning with unyielding determination.

"Ku Ku Ku Ku, what do we have here?"

The seven shinobi all grabbed for their weapons and spun around, all surprised by the visitor. Not even the mighty clan-leader had sensed him coming. The bulky man took one look at the veteran-shinobi in front of him, and one word spilled from his lips.

"Finally we found you… Orochimaru-sama."

* * *

"Are you ready?" Kiba and Hinata looked at Naruto, both smiling confidently.

"Of course!" the fanged boy grinned, Akamaru yipping in agreement.

"Definitely," Hinata nodded.

Naruto nodded back at them, and with her in the lead, they walked into the Academy-building.

They had only made it to second floor when Naruto felt the now familiar tuck in her stomach. The Uzumaki heiress glanced at her teammates, careful not to be spotted by any of the other teams, to see if they had noticed what she had. Hinata tucked a strain of hair behind her ear, while Kiba sneezed. Good; they had noticed. There was a genjutsu cast on them as they had walked into the hallway. The question was what it did. It didn't take long for the members of Team 8 to figure it out, as they spotted a group of kids standing in front of two others, whom were blocking a door to what looked liked to be room 301. But they were only on the second floor. Naruto nodded mentally to herself, the exam living up to its reputation, '_So, the testing starts already now. This must be to weed the weakest out.'_

They heard a thud and a gasp from the crowd. They went to look at what was going on: Lee was sitting on the floor with Tenten kneeling down beside him. It didn't take long for Naruto to figure out that they were doing what she was planning to do; hide their true strength till they needed it.

"You're trying to make chunin with that kind of skill? Maybe you should just quit," it came from one of the boys who were blocking the door

"You're just kids after all," it then came from the second.

Tenten got up from her kneeling position and looked at them pleadingly, "Please, let us through". She stepped forward to go between them. But they wouldn't have any of that. The one on the right raised his fist to hit her. She squinted, acting like the amateur they were trying to look like, and took the hit, falling to the floor beside her eccentric teammate.

"How cruel…" it came from somewhere in the small crowd.

The right eyebrow twitched on the boy who had hit the weapon-user. "What did you say? Listen up; we're being kind to you. The chunin exams are like nothing you have experienced before – it's not just a stroll in the park."

"We have seen genin who have given up being shinobi, become seriously injured, or even killed in the exams," the other continued.

"A chunin will receive missions where they are the commander. That means they are responsible for any failed missions, or any comrades' death, if it should happen! To think that genin of your skill level is even trying to enter the exams…" the boy even looked a little disgusted by the notion.

The second boy put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down, and then continued. "With that in mind, what's wrong with sifting out those who aren't going to pass anyway? It would spare a lot of people a lot of time."

In the meantime Naruto had sensed three familiar chakra approach, and smirked thinking they were going up against them.

The newly arrived Sasuke stepped forward, looking confident as ever. "That's a sound argument, but I will pass." He paused a second, "And undo the genjutsu field, its rather annoying, I want to go to the third floor."

Naruto almost dropped her mask to do a face palm right then and there, but settled for a sigh. '_Don't that boy have __**any**__ strategy in his head? You just had to point it out, to make the almighty Uchiha look good. The two of them are right; if these genin can't even discover such a low level genjutsu as this, then they don't have what it takes to become a chunin._' She heard low growling from Kiba, and saw the small but all-telling frown on the Hyuuga-heiress' forehead, telling Naruto they were having the same thoughts.

Meanwhile whispers went through the crowd of, in Naruto's opinion, incompetent genin, with the likes of 'is that boy stupid?' and 'what is he talking about?' They had no idea what he was talking about; they were on the third floor. You could see it by the room number; it was 301, not 201.

The two boys seemed disappointed that their trick hadn't fooled everyone. "So you noticed"

"Of course we did," it came from the stoic Aburame. He seemed calm as ever, but that didn't fool the whiskered girl. She could feel the fluctuation in the kikaichu-users chakra, showing her how annoyed with his teammate he was. He was, however, still the black-haired boy's teammate, and stuck up for him. He turned towards Sakura, who still seemed a bit creeped out by her 'other' teammate. "Sakura-san, you should've noticed first. Why you ask? Your analyzation skills and genjutsu know-how is the best on our team."

"Shino…" Sakura said, looking surprised by what the Aburame clan-member had said. She send him a smile, "Thank you." She looked up with more confidence than before, "Of course, I've noticed it already. We are only on the second floor."

As soon as she said it the boys released the genjutsu. No reason to keep a jutsu up which fools no-one. The first boys' posture changed; whereas before it was just taunting, this said that he had no problem with getting into a fight, putting the redhead's sensed on alert. The boy smirked, "You're pretty good, but that won't be enough." He took off against Sasuke, as the Dojutsu-wielder did against him.

Naruto sighed, "Come on; let's get to the examination room." Team 8 left the room, hearing the small fight behind them.

* * *

They reached the third floor not long after, to find Kurenai standing in front of the doors to the examination room. She looked her students in the eyes, and much of the doubts she had had vanished; each of them were filled with determination. She nodded at them. "Good, you all showed up. You can now enter the Chunin Exams."

Kiba didn't miss how his teacher had said the last bit. "And what would have happened if only two or one of us had showed?"

"You wouldn't be able to enter," Kurenai stated. "You can only enter the Chunin Exams in teams of three. Some exceptions are made, but none of you are qualified for them. But none of that matters now; you have all showed, and you can enter. Good luck," she said and stepped aside.

They stepped inside and were shocked at what they saw. There must have been more than a hundred genin staring at them right now, or more like glaring. None of them, not even Kiba, flinched or retorted. Naruto let her eyes run over all the shinobi in the room, trying, as impossible as it was, to remember every single face. Her eyebrows rose as she saw a familiar face among the crowd, starring right back at her. And it was coming this way, followed by who Naruto guessed where her teammates.

"Konoha-san!" Haku said bowing. "It is nice to meet you again, off the battlefield."

"Kiri-san…" Naruto said, Kiba and Hinata tensing beside her, both recognizing the person. "I thought you would be sitting in Kirigakure's dungeons – or worse… not offense."

"None taken. I was pretty sure myself that that was where we were going. But a new era have dawned on Kiri. Godaime Mizukage Mei Terumi-sama has ushered a new age, trying to rid us from our… bloody past." The Uzumaki heiress nodded in satisfaction, while Kiba and Hinata tensed body relaxed lightly. Haku extended her hand towards the redhead, "I think it was about time I introduced myself. I'm Yuki Haku, and these are my teammates Kurosuki Chojuro," the blue-haired boy nodded lightly, blushing furiously," and Yoshida Ruka," the girl shot them a smile.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto responded.

"Hyuuga Hinata," it came from said person.

"I'm Inuzuka Kiba, and this is my partner Akamaru," Kiba grinned at them. By now the tension between the two teams had fallen dramatically – as much as it can between two teams from different nations.

"By you being here, I'm guessing Zabuza-san has also been pardoned by Mizukage-sama?" Hinata inquired.

"Hai," Haku nodded.

"He's our sensei," Ruka said.

"Sasuke-kun, you're late!" a seducing voice sounded from a corner of the room, drawing the looks of the six genin. It didn't surprise the sapphire-eyed girl when she saw Ino jumping at Sasuke and hugged him, while, only infuriating Naruto, making sure her asset were firmly pressed against his back. '_Damn fangirls,_' she thought with spite.

Ino laughed, "I've been eagerly waiting for you, ever since I heard that you would be participating in the exams too. It has been such a long time since I've seen you!"

Hinata sighed, "Naruto, maybe we should…"

Naruto nodded. "Right," she turned towards the Kiri team again. "It was nice meeting you, Haku-san, Chojuru-san, Ruka-san."

"Likewise," Ruka nodded.

Team 8 walked slowly towards their year. Naruto smiled when she realized that she didn't dislike _all _of them like the pest. Actually, it was only the two fangirls and the source of their affection that infuriated her to no end.

Sakura was glaring right at Ino, "Get away from Sasuke-kun, Ino-pig!"

Ino responded with a just a deadly glare, right away betraying her cheerful voice. "Oh my, it's you, Sakura. Your forehead is as wide as ever, and you're still ugly… as usual."

"What did you say!?" Sakura screeched. Yes; _screeched_. Kiba winced as he heard the cutting voice. Ino just stuck her tongue out at Sakura, still clinging to Sasuke.

"What, are you three going to take this troublesome exam too?" a new voice sounded. Sakura and Ino stopped their banter, as they along with the rest of their year turned to see Team 8 approaching them.

Naruto smirked friendly at Shikamaru, seeing right through him. "And you are truly surprised by that, Shikamaru-san? Really?"

The Nara shot her a dead look. "Troublesome woman…" Kiba laughed beside her.

Kiba looked around, "So I see that everyone is here…"

"Quite unusual for all the fresh genin to be entering the Chunin Exams," Hinata said, her pale eyes showing no fear.

Kiba grinned again. "So all the nine genin rookies are going to take the exam. We will rock it!" Naruto cringed lightly; Kiba was speaking _really_ loud, catching the attention of the whole room. The Inuzuka heir head immediately caught up to what he was doing, and he quieted down fast.

"INO-PIG, GET OFF OF SASUKE-KUN!"

"LIKE HELL, FOREHEAD-GIRL!"

"Haruno! Yamanaka! Keep your voices down! You're drawing unwanted attention to us!" Naruto hissed. The two kunoichi, if you could even call them that, glared at her.

"Why should we listen to you, freak?" Ino retorted.

"Hey you guys," a foreign voice called at them. They turned to see an older silver-haired genin walking their way. "You should really keep quiet. You're drawing attention to yourselves."

"See?" Naruto said to Ino. She only got a glare in response.

The silver-haired looked at the rookie 9. "I'm Yakushi Kabuto. You must be the nine rookies that just graduated from the academy a few months ago, correct? You're all fooling around with those cute faces… Geez, this isn't a field trip!"

Naruto took the lead, seeing as the others were either to shocked, or unwilling to speak up. "And why should we trust you? As you just said; this isn't a field trip. Don't trust anyone, and don't expect to be trusted."

Kabuto smiled. "You're right, but I'm also a Konoha genin," he said, tapping his hitai-ate as proof. "I just thought I would give you some advice, since this is your first exam. But if that isn't enough, take a look around"

And so they did; almost every team were looking their way, listening intently at what they were saying. Naruto caught glimpse of Haku and her team, and nodded at them, the same with Tenten. Then he spotted the Kazekage's children, looking more intently at them than any other team. And that Gaara-guy

Sakura turned back to Kabuto. "Kabuto-san, was it?" she asked, receiving a nod. "Is this your second time, then?"

Kabuto shook his head, "No, this will be my seventh try to make chunin." The rookies were stunned. "These exams only take place twice every year, and it's my fourth year."

"That would mean you know a lot about the exams, right?" the civilian-born kunoichi asked

"Right," Kabuto smiled.

Shikamaru wasn't so convinced. "But he hasn't passed yet. He can't be that good."

"Or it means that the exams are harder than you think," the older genin said flatly, resulting in another 'troublesome' from Nara heir.

"But as I said, I'm here to help you." He took out a set of cards. "All the times I have been in these exams I have gathered information on the different genin teams, and the genin themselves. Just ask for anyone you want to know something about, and I'll tell you."

Kiba was about to say something, but Hinata stopped him, putting her hand slightly in front of him. He looked at Naruto, who shook her head: it wasn't worth the risk.

Sasuke weren't going to let free information slide by, of course. "Then show me Gaara of Sunagakure no Sato, Rock Lee of Konohagakure no Sato, and… Uzumaki Naruto, also of Konohagakure no Sato". Naruto send him a quick glare. '_Great, if Kabuto knows just a little of my skills, it's not going to stay a secret much longer. It doesn't seem like there isn't one team who's not listening in'._

"Oh, you know their names," Kabuto said, almost sounding disappointed, "Then this won't take much time". There was dead-silent in the room while he took the three cards, only the sound of Choji munching his chips remained.

"Here we go. First let's see Rock Lee: He's one year older than you guys. Mission experience; 30 D-rank and 19 C-rank ones. The squad leader is Maito Gai, the green beast of Konoha, his teammates are Higarashi Tenten, weapon-master, and Hyuuga Neji, prodigy of his clan." Hinata shifted her weight at the mention of her cousin, and this time it was Kiba's arm that moved in front of her, calming her down.

Kabuto continued, "His taijutsu skills have increased dramatically this past year since he graduated, but his other skills are close to none existent. He got everyone's attention last year as a skilled rookie genin, but he didn't take the Chunin Exams. This is his first time taking it, like all of you."

"Next let's see Suna no Gaara; he is the same age as you guys. Mission experience; eight C-rank ones and… This is amazing! He did a B-rank mission as a genin. I don't know how many D-rank he did, as this is his first time taking the exams, and he isn't from Konoha. And the same reason is why I can't tell you his skills. I don't know his squad leaders name either, but his teammates are his siblings; Kankuro and Temari. They are all the children of the current Kazekage, Yondaime Kazekage-sama. There is one more thing I should tell you, though it's just a rumor. It seems that he has returned from all of his missions unharmed."

The rookies were again stunned, even Naruto. "He did a B-rank mission as a genin, and completed it _unharmed_?" she asked, getting a nod in return.

"And last, let's see Uzumaki Naruto," said genin shot another dirty glare at the raven-haired Uchiha. "She is the same age as you, as you very well know. She graduated from the Academy as the rookie of the year and the kunoichi of the year, something not seen in a while. Mission experience; wow, 24 D-rank, 0 C-rank and… 2 A-rank ones, in only the few months since you graduated." The two other rookie teams looked at Team 8 with disbelief, but most of said teams attention was aimed at Kabuto, who was rambling out secrets of their strongest member.

"The squad leader is Yuhi Kurenai, also known as Ketsugoo Gensoo no Yuhi Kurenai. Her teammates are the Inuzuka heir, Inuzuka Kiba, and the Hyuuga heiress, Hyuuga Hinata. Her genjutsu skills are below average, and she's only able to dispel them, not cast them. Her taijutsu skills are high above average, her using kenjutsu alongside it. Her strongest point is her skill in ninjutsu; she is able to produce at least a few dozen Kage Bunshin, and have shown much skill in Suiton ninjutsu. It should also be noted that she has close to kage-level reserves, as is not uncommon in the Uzumaki clan." As he finished Naruto could spot a few fearful looks in the crowds, as she herself sighed mentally in relief. Sure; some of her secrets had been outed, but she still had a few things up her sleeve; fuinjutsu, her kenjutsu style, and her strong _affinity_ for suiton.

Kabuto brought out another card and pushed his chakra into it. He laid it on the floor so it was visible to all the Rookie 9. It was a map of the Elemental Continent, showing which Hidden Villages were participating, and with how many genin.

"Konoha, Suna, Kiri, Ame, Kusa, Taki, and Oto. This year, many talented genin from these Hidden Villages have come here to take the exam. The Otogakure no Sato is a village of a small country that was just recently made, so I don't have much information on them. And Kirigakure no Sato haven't participated in a Chunin Exam in a decade, so the same with their team."

Naruto felt three chakra-signatures spike at the mention of Otogakure. She touched both her teammates on the arms, letting them know to stay alert. They shifted to alert mode right away, not that any of the rookies noticed.

"Either way, all of them are powerful Hidden Villages," Kabuto finished.

The reality of the Exams seemed to be dawning on Sakura. "In other words, all of the examinees here are all…"

"Right… It's not only Lee or Gaara or Naruto. All the people here are top elites genin, chosen from each country to represent them best." He looked at Shikamaru, "doesn't seem that easy now, does it?"

Out of nowhere three shinobi appeared charging at them. Team 8 spun around and met them head on: there was no way they were going to let anyone from their year get hurt like that. It was the three Oto-genin who attacked; two boys and a girl. Hinata quickly made the girl abandon the charge with a feint-strike of juukenpo, while Kiba and Akamaru got in front of one of the male shinobi, who stopped up. Naruto met the last one, the one who was supposed to attack, and grabbed his arm, throwing him into the wall. Hinata and Kiba knew she hadn't meant to do harm to the Oto-nin, since the wall wasn't even cracked. If she wanted to, she could punch through the wall with ease.

"You're better than I thought, especially for rookie genin," it came from the Oto-nin who was thrown into the wall.

A smoke-cloud expanded in the far end of the room, silencing all the people within it. "Quiet down you punks!" Little by little the cloud dispersed to reveal a bunch of Konoha shinobi. The front most seemed to be one who had spoken up, "Sorry to keep you waiting. I am the examiner of the first test of the chῡnin exams, Morino Ibiki." He pointed directly at Team 8. "You from Konoha; don't think you can do anything you want before the exam. Do you want to be failed before it even starts?"

Naruto, alongside Hinata and Kiba, bowed. "I'm sorry Morino-san, it won't happen again."

Ibiki didn't let show that he heard it. "This is a good chance to say this… You are not allowed to fight each other during the Exams, unless given permission by the examiners. And if the permission is given, you can't kill each other, unless that has been explicitly expressed as well by the examiner. Anyone who doesn't follow the rules of the exams will fail immediately, understood?"

No one contradicted him.

"The first part of the Chunin Exams will begin. Turn in your applications, and take one of these tags. Sit where the number tells you to. Then we will pass out the papers for the written exam."

Naruto got in line to turn in her application. She got number 53; she wasn't sitting anywhere near his teammates. '_Well, I guess that's clear why. We can't sit next to the people we are in teams with'_. She looked to her right side to find Shino, and nodded to him, receiving a similar greeting. '_At least there is one person I know nearby'._ She looked on her desk; there was her test turned over, the backside facing up, a pencil, an eraser and a pencil-sharpener.

She frowned; a test? A simple written test? This was the first exam in the Chunin Exams? That couldn't be right… there had to be more to it. She just hoped that Hinata and Kiba would figure it out to.

She was brought out of her thoughts when Ibiki tapped a charcoal on the blackboard. "This first exam has a few important rules. I will not accept any questions, so listen carefully…" he let it sink in as he started writing on the blackboard. "First rule is that you are all given 10 points at the start. The written exam consists of 10 questions, and each is worth one point; the test is a deduction based test. If you get one problem wrong, you will get one point deducted. So, if you get three problems wrong, your points will be reduced to seven…"

He let the genin in the room think about it for a few seconds.

"Second rule; the pass-fail decision will be determined by your team's total points. Third rule; if an examiner determines that you have cheated, or done something similar during the test, the action will cause you to lose two points… In other words, there will be people who will be forced to leave this place without their test being graded. Those who try to cheat without thinking carefully first, will only hurt themselves and their teams." He paused again, as Naruto listened careful to every word he was saying. "You are trying to become chunin, so start acting like one… And last; if anyone in the team gets a zero, everyone on that team will fail." He wrote it down, under all the other rules. "The last problem will be given 45 minutes after the exam begins. You have one hour for the exam. Begin!"

The room was filled with the sound of papers turning, before falling dead silent. Naruto looked at the paper in front of her, and after he read the questions, got a little worried. It was not that she wasn't sure she could answer _most_ of the question, but these questions were… hard. And that was saying it lightly. She looked around herself to see horror edged on the faces of three fourths of the genin. She swore she could even see Shino tremble a bit.

She turned his attention back to his paper '_Ok, question three: 'How far, and how fast, can you throw a standard kunai, not using any chakra of any kind, based on Kimrai's Law of air currents?' I know I have read this somewhere before…'_

Twenty-five minutes had passed. There had already been fourteen teams who had been caught cheating. Naruto had solved seven questions by now, but knew that she was probably one of the people who had answered most questions. '_Ok Naruto; Think! These questions are no for genin-level shinobi… What was it Morino-san said?_' She looked up at the blackboard and read the questions. Third time she read them, the second rule really stuck out – or rather, what Ibiki had said after writing it down. '_Those who try to cheat without thinking carefully first will only hurt themselves… Of course! They want us to cheat! This isn't a written exam, this is an exam to test our ability to gather information within limited time!_'

The Uzumaki heiress glanced back into the room to see if her teammates had come to the same conclusion. Hinata had; her kekkei genkai were already bulking in her face, and she was writing down as fast as she could, but Kiba seemed to be struggling. How could she help him? Maybe with Akamaru.

She glanced at the guards in the room, making sure no-one looked at her. She quickly pulled a fuinjutsu paper out and began writing on it; all the answers she had. She then focused some of her chakra in her vocal-cords and her lips and whistled. But no sound came out; not any sound a human could hear. Soon enough Akamaru were by her legs, careful not being spotted.

Naruto, looking bored as she looked at her own paper, folded the fuinjutsu paper under the table, and 'dropped' it on the floor. Akamaru was gone a few seconds after, and when she looked back at Kiba, he was shooting her the biggest smile, making her blush. '_Good, now that that's out of the way, I gotta make sure no-one else cheats off of me…_'

She took out another fuinjutsu paper and made two Uzumaki kanji: 'blind' and 'block'. She pushed her chakra into the symbols, and as they lit up, she knew no-one else would be stealing her answers. With that done, all there was to do was trying to answer the last two questions, and wait the last ten minutes for the tenth question to be revealed.

Ten minutes later, Ibiki grinned. He was standing the exact same spot, as when he had told the rules of the exam. Finally, he spoke up.

"Looks like we've already dropped the incompetent ones. I will now give the problem, since 45 minutes have already have passed. So listen up! This is the tenth and final problem!" The room was dead-silent, all awaiting the last problem. "But before I do, there's one thing I must say… There will be one special rule for this last question."

Just as he was about to tell the rule, the door opened, and in walked Kankuro and a guard. Ibiki smirked, "you're lucky. Your puppet show didn't have to go to a waste." Shock was written all over his face; he hadn't expected anyone to know about his Karasu puppet. Ibiki closed his eyes "Oh well, sit down." Kankuro walked to his seat, discreetly dropping a piece of rolled up paper on his sisters table, and sat down.

"I will now explain," Ibiki continued. "This is a hopeless rule… First, you are all going to choose if you wish to take this tenth problem or not." That caught everyone's attentions.

It was Temari of Suna who spoke up. "Choose? So what happens if we don't take the tenth problem?"

"If you choose not to take it," Ibiki replied, "your points will be reduced to zero. In other words; you and your team will fail." A lot of murmur caused through the room. "And here is the other rule". The room fell silent again. "If you choose to take it, and you get it wrong, you will lose the privilege to take the chunin exams forever!"

Kiba couldn't take it anymore. Even with all he had learned, being on team with Naruto and Hinata, he was still an Inuzuka by heart. He had held in an outburst for way to long. "What the hell!? There should be those here who have taken the exams in the past!"

Naruto felt ice rolling down her spine, when Ibiki started laughing lightly. "You were unlucky," he finally said, "This year I am the one making the rules. That is why I gave you the option of quitting. Those who are not confident, can choose not to take it, and just take the exam later this year, or the exam after that…" Naruto looked around finding worried faces everywhere. She looked at Hinata and the still fuming Kiba; she was relieved that they didn't seem to want to quit.

She looked back at Ibiki. "Let us begin. Those who do not want to receive the tenth problem, raise your hands. After we confirm your numbers, we will have you leave."

First no one raised their hands. Just as Naruto was beginning to think no one would, the person on her left rose from his seat. "I… I… I won't take the question!"

"Number 50, fail," it sounded from one of the examiners. "Number 130 and 111, fail along with him." And with that, the dam was open. More and more raised their hands, quitting. Slowly, one by one, the room thinned out. Naruto didn't have a problem with it; less people to worry about. Slowly but surely the number of people leaving was dimming. Finally, no-one else wanted to quit, but there were still an awfully lot of people in the room.

"I will ask one more time," Ibiki said, "this is _the_ choice that will impact your life. If you want to quit, now is the chance."

His eyes settled on Naruto, and she looked defiantly back at him: if he thought he could scare her into quitting, he was gravely wrong. She had solved every other question – only the last two being good guesses, and not for sure – and she would be damned if she wasn't going to solve the tenth problem.

Ibiki smiled, now finally creeping Naruto out. '_84 students, eh? There's more left than I expected… Looks like there's no point in waiting any longer'._ He glanced over at the other examiners; they all nodded to him. He took a deep breath. "Nice determination. Then… For the First Exam, everyone here… Passes!"

Everyone was stunned, as the meaning with the tenth 'question' or rather 'choice' seemed to fall into place in the whiskered girl's head. Why hadn't she figured it out sooner? Maybe she did have _some_ nerves…

Sakura couldn't stop herself and spoke up. "Wait, what's the meaning of that? We pass already? What about the tenth problem?"

Ibiki showed a big smile, making everyone get goose bumps. "There was no such thing to begin with. Or you can call the two-choice question the tenth problem."

"Hey!" everyone turned their attention to Temari. "So what were those previous nine problems?! It was all a waste!"

"No it was not," the scarred examiner replied. "The nine problems accomplished their purpose: to test each individual's information gathering skills. First, this test's purpose lies in the first rule… Your pass-fail decision is based on your three person teams. By giving the idea, we have given you an unprecedented amount of pressure, to try and not be a nuisance to your team… But these test problems cannot be solved by your average genin. So, most of the people here must have come to the conclusion 'I have to cheat to get points'. In other words, this exam assumed that everyone was going to cheat. So, we snuck two chunin, who knew the answers, to be targets of cheating."

Two people raised their hands

"But those who cheated like a fool failed, of course. Why?" Ibiki untied his bandana, to show his scalp full of scars. "Information can have greater value than life at times, and in missions and battlefields… Information is contested with the lives of people." People took a good look, before he tied his bandana on again. "The information that an enemy gets after being noticed by a third person, will not necessarily be accurate. Remember this: getting incorrect information can cause great damage to your teammates, and village. So, we made you all gather information in the form of cheating. We kicked out those who were lacking in that field. That's what went on."

Temari had followed this far, but she still had one problem.

"But I still can't agree to that on the last problem…"

"This tenth problem was the main problem of the first exam." Ibiki saw the confused looks on many, but a knowing look at Naruto, which surprised him: the girl was smarter than he had given her credit for, apparently.

"Let me explain. The tenth question was a 'take or not take' choice. Needless to say, it was a painful two-choice problem. Those who did not take it, failed with their teams. If you chose to take it, and could not answer it, your right to ever taking the exam would be taken away… It was a very insincere problem."

"I still don't get it," it came from Temari.

This time Naruto spoke up, getting tired of the game of beating around the bush. "It's rather simple, really. When you become chunin, you _will_ get missions with you as the captain. Thus it will be you who are responsible, and you are the one to make the decision. Let's say you get a mission, where you are against innumerable odds; you can choose to go, even when the odds are against you, and save your village, but risking you and your team's life. Or, you can choose not to go, but risk your whole village."

Realization struck everyone in the room, as Ibiki nodded.

"You are correct. Just because your life, and the lives of your teammates may be in danger, are you able to avoid dangerous missions? The answer is no! There are missions that carry heavy risks, but cannot be avoided. The ability to show your courage to your teammates when needed, and the ability to get through a bad situation… That is what we look for in a chunin, a squad leader. Those who cannot bet their fate in a critical situation, those who give up when given the chance, because there is a tomorrow, a next week, a next year, and let their minds sway over an uncertain future… Fools who only carry a light determination like that have no right to become a chunin. That is what I believe."

He looked over the crowd, who were sucking up every word, like it was heroin, and they were the addicts. "I am saying that you here, who have chosen to take the tenth problem, gave the right answer for a difficult question. You can deal with the difficulties you will face; you have broken through the entrance. The first exam of the chunin selection ends now! I wish you luck."

No longer than three seconds later did a ball of cloth crash through the window. A hand threw two kunai to the ceiling, revealing a banner that said 'Second examiner, sexy and dangerous Mitarashi Anko, is here!' In front of it stood a very provoking-clothed woman with purple hair.

"Everyone, there's no time to be happy. I am the second examiner, Mitarashi Anko! Let's go to the next exam!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** And that was chapter 23! Phew, I worked hard to reach my deadline… which I didn't: it's fifteen minutes past midnight as I write this. Oh well.

As you can see, the Shirogane clan is moving again. And they're teaming up with Orochimaru, huh? What evils can those two breed?

To be honest, I don't have much more to say this time. Keep the reviews up! I love them.

Until Next Time :)

**Ketsugoo Gensoo no Yuhi Kurenai – Kurenai Yuhi of the Binding Illusions:** This is my guess of what Kurenai's Bingo Book name could be. The 'Binding' part is both a reference to her skill as a genjutsu user – making it harder for her targets to escape her genjutsu –, but also a reference to her use of binding plants, as the tree in _Magen: Jubaku Satsu_, or the bean plant she uses in String Bean Binding Illusion.

**Konoha – Leaf**

**Suna – Sand**

**Kiri – Mist**

**Ame – Rain**

**Kusa – Grass**

**Taki – Waterfall**

**Oto – Sound**

**Otogakure no Sato – The Village Hidden by Sound**


	24. Her Teacher's Crazy Friend

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Engineer4Ever:** Yeah, the 'archenemy-clan' may have been used a bit much. Rest assured that they won't be a reoccurring theme in the story; as they are now they're scattered and broken, and contacting Orochimaru is their last desperate hope. We may see them among some Oto-nin during the story, but they won't act as a clan after the attempted destruction of Konoha. I just _had_ to use them; their story was unfinished, and they were just kind-of 'out-there and waiting'.

The reason behind the bitterness between the Shirogane and the Uzumaki can be read about halfway through chapter 7, in a dialog between Hinata and Naruto.

Truth be told, I also want Naruto to do tell Sasuke, or Sakura and Ino for that matter, off when they're being idiots… But that isn't what this Naruto does, it's not in her nature to just call out stupidity.

Ino calling Naruto a freak; yeah, it was because of something like that. Plus, she listens to the adults who say all those nasty, nasty things about our hero.

No, Team 8 will not be helping Team 7 with Orochimaru. They won't even meet Orochimaru. But Team 7 will make it to the end - though not completely unharmed.

**Harlequin320:** It may be pretty standard, but… You know the saying: 'Old but Gold'. I do think I changed some important details, showing some of the skills of Team 8.

This arc will probably be shorter than the other two, as I'm 'skipping' the forest part, and glossing over the fights we already know in the end of second exam, and in the third.

The big differences from canon will probably first be really noticeable in the third exam, though there will be an 'incident' during the second exam.

**Chapter 24:** Her Teacher's Crazy Friend

* * *

"_You are correct. Just because your life, and the lives of your teammates may be in danger, are you able to avoid dangerous missions? The answer is no! There are missions that carry heavy risks, but cannot be avoided. The ability to show your courage to your teammates when needed, and the ability to get through a bad situation… That is what we look for in a chunin, a squad leader. Those who cannot bet their fate in a critical situation, those who give up when given the chance, because there is a tomorrow, a next week, a next year, and let their minds sway over an uncertain future… Fools who only carry a light determination like that have no right to become a chunin. That is what I believe."_

_He looked over the crowd, who were sucking up every word, like it was heroin, and they were the addicts. "I am saying that you here, who have chosen to take the tenth problem, gave the right answer for a difficult question. You can deal with the difficulties you will face; you have broken through the entrance. The first exam of the chunin selection ends now! I wish you luck."_

_No longer than three seconds later did a ball of cloth crash through the window. A hand threw two kunai to the ceiling, revealing a banner that said 'Second examiner, sexy and dangerous Mitarashi Anko, is here!' In front of it stood a very provoking-clothed woman with purple hair._

"_Everyone, there's no time to be happy. I am the second examiner, Mitarashi Anko! Let's go to the next exam!"_

Anko was standing with her fists up in the air, starring out on the stunned crowd. Amongst all the small slaves – potential chunin – she spotted Team 8. She smiled mentally; this was going to be such _fun_! A few seconds passed without anything happening, the genin too stunned by this very loud lady… until Ibiki came out from behind the banner.

* * *

"Grasp the atmosphere…" he said deadpanned to her.

"Pft! Ibiki you're such a prune! You can't plan awesomeness!" she shot back at him, making half the room question her sanity.

Naruto wasn't too sure if she was happy or not that it was Anko who were going to be the second examiner. All of Team 8 knew who she were, having met her a few times in passing when they were with their sensei… and in those few passings they had learned how completely insane the 'crazy snake-lady' could be. On the other hand, it could give them an upper hand, them being prepared for it and all.

The former student of the snake-sannin looked over the crowd and frowned, showing a completely different side of herself. "84? Ibiki, dud you let 28 teams pass? The first exam must've been too soft."

Ibiki didn't let it faze him as he answered flatly, "Or, it could be that there are a lot of excellent students this time." The Uzumaki heiress didn't miss how the scarred man looked at a few of the people in room – her included – when he said that. So, they were already picking favorites, were they?

Anko gave the first examiner a skeptical look; no, she didn't believe one word the old prune said. She let out a big sigh.

"Oh well… Not to worry; I'm going to make more than half the teams fail in the next exam." She laughed darkly when she saw the shocked looks from the genin. It was a completely different laugh than Ibiki's; his told of all the terrible things he had done, and would do, whereas Anko's just screamed 'stay away from me; I'm totally unpredictable and could destroy the village with an exploding tag by accident'.

"Well, would you look at me," the second examiner said still laughing. "I'm getting all excited here. Anyway, I will explain the details of the next exam tomorrow. We will go somewhere else, so ask your jounin-sensei about the rally point and time. If you're not there on time, you fail; easy as that." She nodded to herself, making sure she had said everything there was to say. "That is all. Dismissed!"

* * *

- The next day -

The genin that had passed yesterday's test were now standing in front of a big fenced forest. If you looked in though the fence, you could see what looked like half-rotten trees, housing big animals, which slithered in and out of the shadows. Naruto knew this place; she had used a training ground close by from time to time, and after one look through the fence, and the signs with 'forbidden area' and 'Warning – you may die', he had decided never to walk through one of the gates… until now that is

"Auf," it came whimperly from the white Inuzuka dog.

"Yeah, this place sure is creepy," Kiba agreed, looking in disgust at the ruined nature in the forest. Hinata and Naruto didn't disagree.

Anko was standing between the crowd and the fence, playing with a kunai like it was the most harmless thing in the world. She smirked; she loved how scared all the bra- all the genin looked.

"You will be able to experience on first hand, why this place is called 'The Forest of Death'." The whiskered girl almost couldn't help but to scoff. Even if this place was creepy as hell, she had seen – and felt – way worse. Another genin from Kusa wasn't that smart… he let out a big scoff, accompanied by an eye roll.

Anko didn't care for that, and faster than most of the genin could see, threw the kunai towards the boy, it slicing a small gash on his cheek and impeding itself in the ground behind him. Naruto felt Anko charge her chakra before releasing it fast for a speed burst, disappearing from sight, before appearing behind the boy.

"You know, boys like you are always the first to die in there." She grabbed his cheek, and played with some of the blood that had spilled from the wound. "Lots and lots of beasts just waiting to eat you for breakfast, after you have spilled out that red blood I love all over the place."

"How… repulsive," Hinata said lowly to her teammates as they saw the scene unfold behind Anko. Another Kusa genin had grabbed the kunai Anko had thrown earlier… with her tongue. She know extended the kunai – with her tongue! – towards Anko, whom were half a meter away.

In the meanwhile Anko herself had grabbed a new kunai, sensing the person behind her.

"Here's your knife," the long-tongued Kusa genin said.

"Thank you… But don't stand behind me like that," she paused dramatically. "That is, unless you want to die young." Anko accepted the kunai, and the Kusa-genin tongue retracted.

"I apologize, but I get itchy when I see blood. Also, my precious hair was cut, so I got a little excited." With that, the Kusa-genin backed off.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched. '_I knew Anko was crazy, but this is taking it to a whole new level. Why the hell did jiji make her an examiner? She is totally whacked, to not say dangerous!_'

The tokubetsu jounin walked up in front of the crowd and looked over the exam-takers.

"Before we begin the second exam, I'm going to pass out these to everyone." She took out a stack of papers. "These are consent forms, and those planning on taking this exam must sign one."

"And why is that?" a genin from Ame asked

Anko looked happy that someone asked, a little too happy for Narutos taste, as she said, "From here on, people _will_ die. Therefore, we need people's consent before we continue, so I, and thus Konoha, will be held responsible for the deaths." She laughed as if she had just told a little joke. She waved dismissingly. "Now enough of that. I will begin the explanation of the second exam.

To be concise, you will all go through an extremely intense survival match," she said, as she handed the papers to Naruto, who took one and send it to the next genin.

Shikamaru took a look on the paper he had gotten. '_Survival match? What a troublesome exam…'_

Anko rolled out a little map. "I'll explain the training area's geographical features. The 44th training area is a circular region, surrounded by 44 locked gate entrances. There is a river, a forest, and a tower in the middle. The tower is approximately 10 kilometers away from all the gates. Inside the limited space, you will have to go through a certain survival program. The program consists of… A competition where anything goes… Over these scrolls." She held up another two scrolls for all to see.

"Scrolls?" a Konoha genin asked

Anko nodded. "Yeah scrolls. There are two kinds; the Scroll of Heaven, and the Scroll of the Earth. You will fight over these scrolls." She paused as she put the scrolls away again, "28 teams in total passed the first exam. Half of those teams will the scroll of Heaven, and the other half will get the Scroll of the Earth. Each team will get one of these scrolls. And you simply have to fight over these."

"And?" Sasuke asked "What's needed to pass?"

"Bring the Scrolls of Heaven and Earth to the tower with your teammates," she answered

"In other words," Naruto thought out loud for all to hear, "the 14 teams, or half the people here, that get their scroll stolen will fail."

Anko nodded, "Eight you are. But it needs to be done within the time limit. This second exam has a limit of 120 hours, or exactly five days."

"Five days!?" Ino asked in a high pitching voice, not at all improving her status in Team 8's minds.

"What about food!?" Choji asked as if the sky was falling.

Anko shrugged. "Not my problem. You could find it in the forest- it's a treasure box of nature. There should be plenty of food."

"However," Kabuto said, "there are also a lot of man-eating beasts, poison bugs, and poisonous, man-eating plants."

"No…" Choji said disheartened

"Idiot! That's why it's called a _survival_ match," Ino scolded

"Also," it came from Neji, "it is possible that it's less than the 13 teams that pass"

Lee looked excited to try it out. "And as time passes, you will be required to move more. So, the time to rest your body will become shorter. This seems quite rough."

"And we're surrounded by enemies. So when we finally do sleep, we won't be able to do so in peace," Hinata finished. A silence overcame the genin, as they all thought about the possibilities.

"People will get hurt in the process of fighting over a scroll," Anko continued, "and those who cannot bear the shinobi program's strictness will also emerge."

Shikamaru raised his hand. "Excuse me, can we quit in between?"

Anko frowned. "As a rule, you are not allowed to give up during the exam. You _will_ spend the five days in the forest."

"Just as I thought…" Shikamaru sighed. "How troublesome…"

"While we're on this topic, here are the conditions that will fail you." Silence fell over the crowd again. "First, a team that cannot bring both scrolls to the tower, with the whole team alive, will fail. Second, the team that loses a teammate or produces an unrecoverable teammate will fail. Also, just as a note; you are not allowed to look inside the scrolls until you reach the tower. If you do? Well, that's a surprise you'll see when you look at it… If you become a chunin, you will be handling top secret documents. So this test is also to determine your reliability."

"That is it for the explanation. We will exchange three consent forms for one scroll at that hut," she pointed at said hut. "And after have gotten to your assigned gate entrance; everyone will start at the same time." Anko looked like she wasn't sure she should tell more, but finally let in with a sigh, "I guess I should give you one last piece of advice…"

The crowd fell silent again, waiting for the last piece of advice, before they possibly walked into their deaths.

"Don't die!"

The members of Team 8 were standing in front of Gate 12. They had been some of the first to turn in their consent forms, not wanting to linger around the larger group. They were now waiting for the chunin in front of them to open to gate; it was to be opened at 12.30 exactly, down to the second. They were all tense.

"Princess, Hinata, wha-" was all Kiba could say before Hinata cut her off

"Not now Kiba-kun, wait till we're inside." It took him a few seconds to figure out that Naruto and Hinata wanted to wait with this talk till they were inside – they couldn't take any chances. They went back to being silent and tense.

The chunin in front of looked at his clock and unlocked the gate. Team 7 was getting ready to sprint off at full speed. It wasn't long after that, that they heard the crazy snake lady's voice resonating through the air.

"We will now begin the Chunin Selection's Second Exam! Have fun!"

Naruto's eyebrow twitched one single time, before the gates shot open. The three Konoha genin of Team 8 took off at full speed – which was quite fast even for genin –, quickly leaping to the trees, the element they were most used to.

* * *

- One day into the Second Exam -

Hiruzen was sitting quietly in his office doing the bane of his existence – paperwork. There was even more than usual, since the Chunin Exams was being held in Konoha. And it would probably only increase over the next few weeks as the Third Exam approached. With the Mizukage already being her, and the preparations for the Kazekage to come and attend the exam, plus all the noblemen- and women… he already knew that he would be getting very little sleep. How his predecessor had managed to always be done with the paperwork – and have an active social life on top of that – he would never know.

The Sarutobi Clan-head sighed as he signed yet another formality paper and leaned back into his office-chair. He looked tiredly at the mess on his table; multiple stacks of papers, whereas the right, or 'finished', stacks of paper was barely the third the size of the left, or 'yet to be signed', stacks of paper. He groaned slightly and massaged his temples.

"I'm getting too old for this," he mumbled to himself and began signing again, thinking back to the happy year that he was actually retired, and happily at that. He would have stayed so if there had been a suitable successor. But the only previously one, Jiraiya, became a bit of a mess when Minato had died. And Tsunade had only just returned to the village when the Kyuubi attacked, only reinforcing her idea of nothing but bad things happened in Konoha. But if he was lucky, he only needed to endure the job a few more years, and then his granddaughter-figure could take over. '_Just maybe'_.

He shook the thoughts from his head and picked up another paper. It was a request for putting up a stall along the main-road during the finals. He sighed again; why did people think that they could get a spot only weeks before the event? As soon as the date for the finals had been announced, he had been swarmed with requests, and all the available spots had been taken… He was sure that they would spot more than a few un-approved stalls during the final. Just what he needed: More work.

He looked up as he heard three knocks on his office door.

"Enter," he said in a gruff voice.

The door opened and the blue-clothed form of the Godaime Mizukage entered.

"Hokage-dono," she greeted. "I was hoping maybe you had time to talk, but I see that you have your hands full."

"Mizukage-dono," Hiruzen nodded. "I'm afraid it will have to wait. With the Chunin Exams being held here, and you and Kazekage-dono visiting, I have my work cut out for me." He paused, "but it's not every day the Mizukage visits. If you have nothing better to do, you are welcome to wait. I just need to approval and disapproval of the stalls to be finished as soon as possible.

The female kage nodded and took a seat, "Then I think I will wait."

* * *

The examiner for the second exam, Mitarashi Anko, was sitting on top of the stall where the genin had come to get their scrolls. She was swinging her legs lightly and drinking a broth, while chewing on her favorite snack – a dango.

"Yum! Sweet red bean broth goes best with dango!" she said out loud to no one in particular. She took another bit of her dango-stick, "After I eat this, I guess I'll go wait at the tower for the guys who get through this." She bit the last dango off, "this program is made so that the good ones should be arriving there about now." She threw the stick at the tree beside the stall, now showing a full Konoha symbol, made completely from dango-sticks.

"The Konoha mark is complete", she said with a cheerful voice and half-smiled-half-grinned to herself.

She was just about to take off, when smoke exploded in front of her and one of the chunin guards appeared in from it. He was kneeling lightly, "we have an emergency, Anko-sama!"

Anko frowned, "What is it all of a sudden…?"

"Corpses. Three of them."

Anko kept looking at him, showing him that she wanted more information.

"There is something strange about them… Please come with me", the chunin asked almost desperately.

"Strange?" Anko asked to herself more than the chunin.

* * *

- A few minutes later -

Anko and the chunin arrived at the scene. Two more chunin guards were there, guarding the bodies. Anko recognized them as Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo, also known as 'the eternal chunin's', not that she cared about that.

The snake mistress noticed what this place was. She immediately gritted her teeth in anger, '_one thing is to kill inside the protective walls of Konoha, but it's a whole 'nother thing to kill _here_'_. What she was referring to was the small shrines beside the bodies, now splattered with blood. This was a holy place… even shinobi had a few of those. Even countries at war didn't desecrate holy sites if they could help. For someone to kill here… they had either been extremely ignorant, or they really meant to piss off Konoha. Anko didn't know what she wanted the most… While it would be bad for someone to really want to fight Konoha, an ignorant enemy could be just as dangerous.

Anko was snapped out from her fuming when one of the chunin, Kotetsu, spoke up. "From their possessions and ID's… We found out that they are shinobi from Kusagakure who registered for the Chunin Selection Exams. But as you can see…"

Anko looked closer and found out what he was talking about, "Their faces are gone…"

"Yes, their faces are gone as if they were melted off."

Anko's right arm moved up to where her cursed seal was, as reality began to hit her. '_There's no doubt… This jutsu is… _his_… But why is he at this exam?'_ She turned towards the chunin who had reported to her at the stall

"Show me the pictures of these Kusa shinobi. It should be in their applications," she said with urgency in her voice. If she was right – and Kami did she hope she wasn't – then there was a predator, much worse than the animals, inside that forest with the genin.

"Hai," the chunin said and quickly took out three photographs. She looked at the picture, recognizing the face from the day before at the briefing, '_So he took this guy's face? Then… He must have taken it already back then.'_

She turned towards the chunin with a very serious face. "Listen up!" she half-snapped, catching their attentions again. "This is no drill. You three let Sandaime Hokage-sama know about this right away. And request for a mobilization of at least two ANBU squads to the Forest of Death. Also tell him that Orochimaru of the Densetsu no Sannin have returned! I will go after these guys now. Understood?"

"Hai", they all said unison, and jumped off towards the village and Hokage-tower.

She stood a few seconds, just starring at the bodies while holding her seal, '_He… He's back in Konohagakure… But why…?_' With that she took off at her top speed towards the forest.

* * *

Mei smiled at the 'God of Shinobi'. "I'm glad that I'm not the only one who gets caught up in paperwork. If an experienced Kage like you can't keep up with it either, I guess it's not something to be ashamed off."

The old Hokage laughed, putting away the last pieces of paper. "It certainly isn't. On another note; have your stay been satisfying so far?"

"It has," Mei smiled. "It's so… peaceful here. Nothing like Kiri – Remnants of the Civil War still lingers… It's nice to have a change of scenery."

"I'm g-"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

Both Kage looked out the window to try and locate the source of the sound. It soon came apparent with a big black column of smoke rising to the skies. Hiruzen narrowed his eyes; that was one of the buildings that held an entrance to the Konohan Dungeons. He was just about to call the ANBU when after three chunin arrived in the office by the use of shunshin no jutsu. He recognized two of them as Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo, or 'The Eternal Chunin' as they had become to be known as. He didn't recognize the third by name, but he knew that he assigned all three chunin as guards during the exams. He narrowed his eyes: this couldn't be good.

"Hokage-sama!" it came from one Kamizuki Izumo.

"Kamizuki-san, report!" Hiruzen ordered.

"Approximately twelve minutes ago we discovered three corpses at The Shrines. We called Anko-sama immediately after the discovery. She examined the bodies, and she said…" Izumo glanced over at his partner.

Kotetsu saw his friend trouble and immediately stepped forward. "She said it was the work of Orochimaru, sir. She said that Orochimaru of the Densetsu no Sannin is back in Konoha." Hiruzen's breath hitched as Mei gasped. But right now, even if she was a Kage, he couldn't mind her. The old Hokage thought back and remembered his old, and for a long time most promising, student-turned-traitor. Orochimaru was back. But what was he after?

'_What can cause him to return here after so long?'_ Sarutobi worriedly thought, '_what have changed for him to decide it is time?'_ he sighed. He needed to act. He needed to find out what had happened at the entrance to the Dungeons, and he needed to get Orochimaru.

"Tora! Neko!" The Sandaime Hokage ordered entering his full 'Hokage-mode', making the three chunin wince lightly. The Mizukage just looked slightly in awe, now witnessing not the pleasant old man she had talked to for the last half hour. Now she was wintnessing the 'Kami no Shinobi'.

Two ANBU members appeared in the middle of the office kneeling.

"You called Hokage-sama," it came from the right ANBU, who was wearing the neko mask.

"Tora, alarm the ANBU that Orochimaru or the Densetsu no Sannin is back and most probably within the Forest of Death right now! I want seven patrols around The Forest. And you, Neko, you will call Hotaru's and Usagi's teams to investigate what has happened at Entrance Eight. Go!"

"Hai," the two ANBU answered and disappeared in two leafy shunshin.

Hiruzen turned his attention towards the still present chunin. "You have done good to give me this information. I will require you to keep it a secret for now; we don't need worry the citizens and shinobi alike with it just yet."

"Hai," they all answered.

He turned towards the Mizukage. "I know I have no power over your, Mizukage-dono, but I will hope that – for now at least – you will keep this a secret, not telling anyone but those who absolutely needs to know."

Mei inclined her head, "Of course. I will keep this between us… for now." Hiruzen nodded back: he knew that was better than he could expect from most of the other Kage. Even Suna, whom they were currently allied with.

He turned his head back towards the chunin. "Good then. You'll need to get back to your posts, so no-one get's suspicious of anything," the Sandaime Hokage said. The three chunin shunshined out of the room, hurrying back towards The Forest of Death. The old Hokage groaned and sat down in his chair, rubbing his temples. "I'm getting too old for this."

Since Mei hadn't been told to leave, she sat down across his desk.

* * *

- In the Konohan Dungeons -

Shirogane Sayuri looked up from her dark and damp cell, up at the door who had just burst open. She grinned when she saw two lightning bolts that stroke each other tattooed on the arm of the person who had burst in: her clansmen.

She grinned. "Took you long enough. Is it time to spill that Uzumaki bitch's blood, yet?"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well, that's really what I got for you this time. Next time we should see Team 8 arrive at the tower, maybe see their fight in a flashback, and a third thing( which will be a surprise).

That's really all I got for you.

Until Next Time :)

**Tokubetsu Jounin – Special High Ninja:** Tokubetsu Jounin are ninja who, rather than all-around jounin training, have jounin-level ability in a specific area or skill, much like warrant officers in real-world militaries. They are elite specialists in their areas and are often assigned as subordinates to regular jounin when their services are needed. One example of a Tokubetsu Jounin is Ibiki Morino, whose unique ability to completely understand the workings of the human mind makes him a jounin-level interrogation expert.


	25. Her Priliminary Match

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Engineer4Ever:** Yeah, I thought that a kind-of short chapter would be ok, after two long chapters. I could've probably pressed more into the chapter, but that would be unnecessary details.

While there WILL be some new fights in prelims, with how Team 8 is a lot stronger than in canon, and there are three new attendants, some of the fights will be the same. Those fights I will try to skip over with as few words as possible, without making it seem like I want to get it done fast.

The Shirogane is moving around for sure. But I can reveal that they won't make their appearance QUITE yet. Rest assured that it is during the Chunin Exams that the last of their story is told.

Mei and Naruto will have an interaction, but there won't be many of them. Though, there will be enough so they 'know' each other, and get a good feeling of the other.

**Hylian Mage:** Naruto _will_ meet Kurama. And she _will_ find out the real reason behind the attack on Konoha. But I won't reveal when the two things are going to happen – just that it won't happen at the same time.

**Artfrogy:** No, Team 8 did not meet Karin in the forest. I will bring Karin in at some time as an Uzumaki – Naruto is pretty adamant about rebuilding her clan. But that won't happen quite yet.

**Chapter 25:** Her Preliminary Match

* * *

_Shirogane Sayuri looked up from her dark and damp cell, up at the door who had just burst open. She grinned when she saw two lightning bolts that stroke each other tattooed on the arm of the person who had burst in: her clansmen._

_She grinned. "Took you long enough. Is it time to spill that Uzumaki bitch's blood, yet?"_

* * *

Kiba couldn't wipe the grin of his face, as Team 8, alongside all the other teams who had passed, stood in front of the Sandaime Hokage, Godaime Mizukage, the chunin guards, and the sensei for the passing teams.

"Would you wipe that grin off your face," Naruto said with a smile to her crush. "This is serious you know. There is still one exam left."

"I just can't help it!" Kiba said and put an arm on her shoulder. "I'm just so damn happy we passed."

"Auf, auf!" Akamaru agreed from his position in Kiba's jacket, just under his head.

A beat red Naruto moved out from under Kiba's arm. "W-well, just keep it down."

"There are still a lot of people left," it came from Hinata while she was looking around at the other teams. "Eight teams have passed… Twenty-four genin."

"Hai," the redheaded Uzumaki nodded. "We have to be careful." She shot a look at Kiba.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he muttered.

Naruto looked around at who had passed the second exam. The entire rookie nine had passed – even Team 10, which surprised her – alongside Team Gai. One more team from Konoha had passed – Kabuto's team. She glared at him; there was just something about him that didn't sit right with her. From outside of Konoha the team from Oto had passed, alongside the Kazekage's children, and the last team that had passed was Haku and her team.

She could see that some of them looked really exhausted. They had probably passed in the last minute or something… That hadn't been a problem for Team 8: they had been the second team to pass, only beaten by the Suna genin. She wasn't sure when siblings had passed, but it must've been damn fast, because Team 8 had passed halfway through the second day.

It hadn't been too much trouble to get a scroll. As soon as they had decided what to do, they had tracked down another genin team fast – not a hard thing with their abilities. It had been an Ame team, and they quickly been taken down. Lucky for Naruto and her friends, the Ame genin had had the scroll they needed. They didn't waste any more time with that, and headed as fast as they could to the tower.

She was snapped out of her musing as Anko started speaking.

"We will now have an explanation of the Third Exam from Hokage-sama. Everyone, listen well." She gave everyone a stern look, which didn't look natural on her at all. She turned towards Hiruzen, "Sandaime-sama, please do the honors."

"Yes," Hiruzen nodded to her. He stepped forward, looking at the examinees who had passed. "The Third Exam will begin. But before the explanation, there's one thing I want to make clear to all of you. It's about the true purpose of this exam." Some of the genins eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Why do we hold these exams with allied nations?" The old Hokage continued. "'to maintain good relations with the allied nations' and 'heighten the level of the shinobi'… Do not let those reasons deceive you."

Mei's mouth twitched with a smile. Those were exactly the reasons her own genin had given.

"The 'exam' is so to speak…" Hiruzen said out loud. "The epitome of a war between the allied nations."

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama, but what do you mean?" Tenten asked from the row furthest away from the leader of Konoha.

"If we go back through history, the nations whom are now allied were neighboring countries that have fought each other over and over again. To avoid wasting military power, those countries decided to choose a place to fight… That is the beginning of the Chunin Selection Exam," Hiruzen answered the young weapon mistress. Naruto couldn't say she agreed with everything he said. War was never that easy – and neither was peace. But she wasn't one to speak out against her Hokage – and especially not in presence of shinobi from other countries.

"Hn. So we're basically fighting in a replacement for war," the Uchiha heir brooded.

"B-but I thought this exam was to select chunin?" one of Haku's friends half asked. Chojuru was his name, if Naruto remembered correctly.

The Hokage puffed on his pipe. "Yes, this Exam does examine those who are worthy of the chunin title. But, on the other hand, it's also a place where shinobi fight and carry their country's dignity…" He looked at the genin once again. "You might ask why I'm telling you this. Well, in this Third Exam, feudal lords and famous people from all over the Elemental Continent, who may be potential clients, are invited to the Exam as guests. There they will see you, the potential chunin, fight. If there's a significant difference in power, the strong country will be flooded with jobs. The opposite is also true; if a country is seen as weak, their jobs will decrease. And at the same time, countries are able to show how their village has grown and possess excellent military power to the adjacent countries."

"But why do you measure power by fighting in the chunin exam?" Ruka of Kirigakure asked.

"If I may," Mei asked Hiruzen. He nodded and she stepped forward beside him. "A country's power is the village's power. A village's power is the shinobi's power. And a shinobi's true power is only born in life-or-death battles. This Exam is also a place to show off the shinobi power of one's country."

Hiruzen nodded. "Since this is an exam where you fight with your life on the line, it has a meaning… And your predecessors have fought and dreamed of being in the Chunin Exam because of it. This is a life-or-death battle for your dream and for your village's dignity." He took a deep cleansing breath, "and now for the explanation of the Third Exam."

One of the chunin stepped forward. "I, Gekkou Hayate, the judge, will explain. Everyone, it's nice to meet you." His speech was interrupted by a nasty-sounding cough that made Naruto wince. She might not appreciate the Kyuubi much, but she was glad that she didn't have to worry about ever getting a nasty cold like that. "Everyone, before the Third Exam… We will need you to fight in some preliminary matches to see who gets to advance to the Third Exam's main battle."

All the genin were silent with shock. Shikamaru was the one to break that silence, as he shouted – yes shouted – at Hayate.

"Preliminary matches!? What do you mean!?"

Sakura was the next to speak. "Sensei, I don't understand what you mean by preliminary matches. Why can't we just start the Third Exam with the remaining examinees?"

Hayate coughed again. "In this case, it must have been because the First and Second Exam were too easy, I don't know…" Naruto noticed he got some dirty glares from Anko and Ibiki. "But there are too many examinees left. According to the Chunin regulations, we must decrease the number of participants for the Third Exam."

"Are you being serious?" Ino asked with a shaky voice.

"As previously mentioned by Hokage-sama and Mizukage-sama, there are many guests for the Third Exam, so we cannot just have a lot of matches. We are limited on time, as well, so those who aren't feeling well…" he stopped speaking again, his coughing taking the better of him. "Excuse me. The preliminaries will consist of one-on-one matches. If anyone wants to quit after hearing the explanation, now is the time to tell. The preliminary matches will begin immediately."

"Immediately!?" a Konoha genin Naruto didn't know shouted.

"But we just got through the Second Exam…" Ino whined, followed by a 'how troublesome' from Shikamaru. On the other hand Kiba looked excited to be fighting more, causing the Uzumaki heiress to roll her eyes. He probably wouldn't be so willingly if he hadn't spent three days waiting for the Second Exam to be over.

Naruto noticed something going on with Team 7: Sasuke seemed to be in pain somehow, and Sakura was pining over him. It wasn't of her concern. She wasn't the only one: Anko and Ibiki were talking to Hiruzen, while giving the raven-haired boy some looks. Naruto narrowed her eyes; there was really something going on here, that shouldn't be going on. Everyone was brought out of their thoughts as Kabuto raised his hand – only increasing Naruto's suspicions of him.

"Ano, I'll quit," Kabuto said with a small smile. Why would he be smiling?

One of his teammates stepped forward as well. "Me too."

"Well, let's see…" Hayate said as he flipped over some papers. "You are Konoha's Yakushi Kabuto-kun and Akado Yoroi? You may leave, then."

"Hai," the two Konoha genin responded and began to walk out.

"Kabuto-san, why are you quitting?" Sakura asked when he was beside her. Naruto raised her eyes; something must've happened in the forest for them to become better acquainted.

"Sorry, I'm more hurt than I look. I can't go through another fight." With that he walked out of the room.

"Anyone else wants to quit, now is the time," the examiner for the Third Exam asked. No one raised their hands or spoke up. "Then, let's begin the preliminary matches. As I said, it will be a one-on-one match. In other words, it will be like real combat. Now that we have exactly twenty-two people, we will have eleven matches, and the winners will be able to advance to the Third and Final Exam.

There are no rules. You will fight until the other person dies, is knocked out, or admits defeat. If you do not want to die, please give up immediately. However, if I judge that the match is over, I may stop you to prevent any unnecessary deaths.

The thing that will hold your destiny…" He turned to look expectantly at Anko. She nodded and muttered something into a radio. Behind her a panel opened and a electric board was displayed. "Is this. The electric bulletin board will randomly display the names of two fighters for each match. Without further ado, I will now display the names for the first match."

The air was tense with anticipation as everyone in the room looked at the board. It went quickly through all the names, too quickly for anyone to read, before stopping on the names of the two first contestants. Kinuta Dosu and Uchiha Sasuke. A satisfied 'hn' could be heard from Sasuke when his name was displayed. Figures.

"Those who names were displayed, step up," Hayate said. Sasuke and Dosu walked up from the rows that the genin were standing in, and stopped in front of the chunin. "The first match's fighters are Kinuta Dosu and Uchiha Sasuke."

"No," it came from the two genin, who were getting ready to fight each other. Naruto narrowed her eyes when she saw Sasuke rubbing his shoulder. He winced, and Naruto almost recoiled from the chakra she felt.

Naruto leaned over to the Hyuuga heiress. "Hinata, keep an eye on Uchiha-san. Something's… off."

Hinata sent her best friend a worried look, but nodded. "Hai, Naruto-chan."

"We will now begin the first match." Hayate looked at the twenty other genin in the arena. "Everyone other than the two fighters, please move up to the rafters." Everyone did just that. The Rookie Nine, alongside Team Gai and the Kiri genin moved to one side, while the rest of the genin moved to the other side.

Naruto looked intently as Sasuke and Dosu got ready to fight. Not only did she need to gather as much info as she could about potential opponents, but something wasn't quite right with Sasuke. And as much as Sasuke and she had had their, err… _disagreements_, he was still a Konoha shinobi, and he was a darn good one at that.

Kurenai soon joined them in the rafters, the other sensei having done the same. The three genin of Team 8 sent a polite nod towards Zabuza, which he returned before turning towards the Mizukage. The Uzumaki heiress couldn't help but look at the female Kage – she was the embodiment of Naruto's dream after all. The whiskered girl quickly looked away, though, when Mei looked her straight in the eyes with a knowing smile.

"I trust that the Second Exam went well?" Kurenai asked her genin.

Kiba scoffed. "Of course! Were there ever any doubt?" Hinata swatted Kiba playfully, and grinned sheepishly at her. "I mean, yes sensei. We didn't run into any trouble."

Kurenai chuckled at her teams antics. "That is good to hear."

"Something happened, isn't that right, sensei?" Naruto asked, looking down on Sasuke. "Something concerning Sasuke."

The female jounin let out a breath. "You're as perceptive as ever, Naruto… Yes, something did happen under the Second Exam, but now is not the time or place to tell it." She saw her whiskered student looking at her calculated. "But yes, you will get told later." Naruto nodded, satisfied with the answer… for now.

Hayate coughed again, thought this time to get the attention of everyone. "If both contestants are ready… Hajime!" He jumped up to the rafters, and stood by the Hokage and the Mizukage, as Sasuke and Dosu started their match.

It became clear from the moment the fight started that the two knew of the others abilities to an extent. Their moves were instantly mirrored by the other, none of them getting the upper hand.

"Quite an ability the Oto genin has," Hinata observed. "It seems like he is able to manipulate sound…"

Kiba's face scrunched in concentration. "How is that good?" Kurenai smiled at his question; sure, he still wasn't the brightest boy, but he certainly wasn't stupid. And he _wanted_ to learn, _wanted_ to know. Naruto really did have a good influence on the boy. Kurenai looked at the redhead, and couldn't deny that the opposite was also true. A few months ago Naruto wouldn't even beat an eyelash to show emotion, but here she was actively worried about Sasuke.

"Why isn't the idiot using his chakra?" Naruto muttered. She turned to her pale-eyed friend. "Hinata, can you check with your Byakugan?"

Hinata nodded. "_Byakugan!_" She was still for a few seconds. "No, he isn't using any chakra. It's flowing around his system like you would expect it to, but… there's something on his neck fighting his chakra. Like it's trying to get dominance."

"And you're going to keep that to yourselves," Kurenai said sternly.

"But-" Kiba tried, but Kurenai gave him 'the look'. They all understood; this wasn't something they should discuss here.

They turned their attention back to what looked like the end of the match. Sasuke put a quick burst of speed, disappearing before reappearing behind Dosu. It was followed by a swift upper kick that launched the Oto-nin into the air. He disappeared again before appearing under Dosu, following him in the air.

"Isn't that _Kage Buyo_?" Kiba asked, in slight awe. Learning Kage Buyo wasn't a small feat.

"Yes, yes it is…" Kurenai said thoughtfully.

While mid in the air Sasuke winced again, and Naruto felt the dark, malice-emitting chakra. Just as it seemingly should get out of control, he pushed it back. That really staggered Naruto; she didn't know what was going on, but pushing such a chakra back… it wasn't easy. She was probably one of the few people who could relate to it.

As soon as Sasuke had won the fight against whatever was wrong with him, the match was his. He tried kicking Dosu from the right, but he blocked it. It was quickly followed by a kick from the left which hit him. That sent him spiraling towards the ground, Sasuke following him closely. As they landed, Sasuke spun and put a last kick in.

Dosu was knocked out cold. The Uzumaki heiresses eyes shot towards her Uchiha counterpart – he didn't look much better than his opponent. But… he had won his match.

"Kinuta Dosu is unable to continue." Hayate was down in the arena, checking on Dosu. He seemed to still be alive. "The winner of the first match is Uchiha Sasuke. This means he passes the preliminary rounds."

Squeals could be heard right away coming from Ino and Sakura… a second before they turned to glare and insult each other. Meanwhile Kakashi had shunshined down to Sasuke, helping him up to the rafters after. He stopped in front of Naruto, puzzling both Team 8 and Sasuke.

"Uzumaki Naruto. I request the Uzumaki clan's assistance in a matter, after the preliminaries are done." Naruto's eyes widened. No one had ever requested her clan's assistance. Well, not while she had been alive.

"S-sure," the clan heiress nodded, still shocked. Kakashi nodded back at her, showing her the respect heirs _normally_ would get, before he shunshined away with Sasuke. Naruto turned towards her sensei, "Did you know he was going to do that?"

Kurenai shook her head. She was just as shocked as her student. "No… I did not know that."

Kiba didn't sense the atmosphere and bumped her on the shoulder. "You're getting pretty powerful, aren't you Princess? To have your clans – which basically means you – assistance requested by Hatake Kakashi." She couldn't fight the blush down that bubbled up.

When Dosu had been taken away by the medics, Hayate spoke up again. "Now we will begin the next match…"

The second match was Aburame Shino vs. Abumi Zaku. The Oto-nin clearly had a disadvantage, with one of his arms being broken. The match was very different than the one that took place moments earlier. Sasuke's match had been about beating the opponent with power, where this match seemed more about who could outwit the other. The fight ended when Shino had somehow snuck his kikaichu into the tubes in Zaku's arms, so when he tried to use his attack, it burst his arm in some nasty places. Shino came out of the match, not looking like he had tried at all

The third match was Kankuro of Suna against Tsurugu Misumi. A smirk spread out on the redheaded heiresses face when she remembered the Kazekage's eldest son with his face in the dirt. But she knew she couldn't – or rather shouldn't – judge him for that. As her grandfather figure had said moments before: a shinobi's skill is only truly shown when his or her life is on the line.

The match was short. First it seemed that Misumi ruled the fight: somehow he could make his bones soft, or something like that, and entangle and strangle an opponent – which was just what he did. Hayate was just about to end the fight, when cracks appeared on 'Kankuro's cheek. A second after the real Kankuro appeared from the bandaged object on the back of 'Kankuro'. Naruto was impressed when she found out that he was a puppeteer. It was a Suna specialty, but it was still hard to master. And Kankuro seemed to have great control over his puppet. With a sickening crack Kankuro broke Misumi's bones, incapacitating the Konoha genin and winning the match.

Kiba sighed. "This is boring! Can't one of us fight soon!?"

"I hate to admit it, but I'm agreeing with Kiba-kun," Hinata said with a twitch on her lips. Akamaru barked at the two, clearly agreeing with them. He also wanted in on some action. The small chattering that had filled the rafters where the Rookie Nine were standing stopped when the next two contestants appeared on the screen.

Haruno Sakura… vs. Uzumaki Naruto.

The first thing that broke the silence was Kiba laughter. "Oh man! Haruno is gonna get it now!"

Now, normally Naruto wasn't into 'showing it up' to people, but… to fight – and beat – Haruno Sakura, one of the biggest fangirls in Konoha… that would be very satisfying. And she let it show. An almost evil smirk could be seen on her face as she looked at the pinkette. The pinkette looked back, and you could see her visible pale.

"Oi, Forehead! Don't you dare give up! Beat that bitch up if it's the last thing you do!" Ino screamed-cheered on her rival and friend. Hinata sent a glare towards the Yamanaka heir, supplied by the low growls from Akamaru and Kiba.

"Good luck, Naruto. Please don't beat her up too badly," Kurenai said with concern. Not for her own student, but she knew what Naruto could do if she wanted to. Twenty seconds later the two kunoichi from Konoha was standing in front of each other, observed by the rest of the examinees.

'_This could be a problem,_' Naruto thought. '_I can beat Haruno with no problem at all, but I will reveal some of my skills… If I can just conceal my skill set, I will have an advantage in the finals._' She knew right away what she was going to do. This was going to be an easy match.

Hayate looked between the two glaring kunoichi. "Hajime!"

Sakura charged right away, trying to punch Naruto in the face. The Uzumaki heiress almost laughed at the attempt: this girl was not fit to be a chunin – if a kunoichi at all. Quickly, Naruto deflected the punch and dropped a smoke bomb that engulfed them and a fifteen meters radius. She made the cross-seal of her clan.

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_"

Two clones appeared beside her, nodding to her: they already knew what they were going to do. One of them went after Sakura right away, pushing her out of the smokescreen, while the other ran out of it in another direction. Meanwhile Naruto released her seals so she could put a burst of speed on, hopefully not being seen by the civilian-born kunoichi. As she stopped, now using her chakra to glue her to the ceiling, she sat back and enjoyed the show.

The clone that engaged the pinkette had it easy. It was only its job to keep Sakura busy, so that was what it did. It kept avoiding her strikes, and even intercepting them, which infuriated Sakura. It was clear who was going to win this fight. As that happened, the other clone ran around the arena and put seals around the first clone and her opponent. After twenty seconds her trap was ready to be sprung. Naruto jumped down from the ceiling, and stood on the two fingers of the big statue in the room. She brought her fingers together and dispelled her clones. Sakura's eyes widened when the Naruto she had fought puffed away in smoke.

"Haruno, are you ready to give up yet?" The Uzumaki heiress asked from her position.

Sakura glared back at the rookie of the year. "Not now, not ever."

The whiskered girl sighed. "That was what I was afraid off. Well then, let me finish it for you." She brought up a kunai with a paper wrapped around the handle. With pinpoint precision she threw it at the last spot where a seal was missing. Only now did Sakura notice that she was in the middle of a circle with seals. The Konoha jinchuuriki smirked. "_Fuin!_" The seals glowed before signs began expanding from the seals and connected with each and every seal. When that was done, long robes of signs shot out from each seal and wrapped themselves around Sakura, forcing her to her knees as she was completely defenseless.

Sakura tried to break out of the seal, but by how well they were made, and with Naruto's chakra capacity, she didn't have a chance. Finally she let out a breath in defeat. "I give up."

"The winner of the fourth match is Uzumaki Naruto. This means she passes the preliminary rounds," it came from Hayate.

Naruto jumped down from her position, ignoring the looks she was getting, and walked over to the kunai she had thrown. As she picked it up, the seals disappeared, and Sakura was set free… unfortunately.

* * *

**Author's Note:** And chapter twenty-five is done! Chapter twenty-six we will have the final seven matches – four of them will be semi descriptive, while the other three will be glanced over.

I really hope you like how I've handled the chunin exams. I, of course, could've written every fight in great detail, but there wouldn't be any difference from canon, and you would have a couple of thousand words more, but nothing new. So I decided to do it this way.

I'm sorry if you had hoped on a big fight for Naruto already, but that aren't going to happen before the finals. _There_ she will have a big fight, and then of course the invasion will happen where she will also have a big fight. There will be one fight in the next chapter that will be a 'big fight' in my opinion. Not going to reveal which one it is, though, just that I'm looking very much forward to it.

That was all I had to say for this story. Next I just want to point out that I have a new Twilight story up, if you're into that kind of thing. It's called 'Water and Wolves'. If you like it, that's great, if not, it's also ok. Just wanted to shout it a bit :).

Until Next Time :).

**Kage Buyo – Shadow of the Dancing Leaf:** A technique where one follows the opponent, closely matching his or her body's movement, just like a leaf that dances in the air is followed by its shadow. The technique is usually preceded by a swift upper kick that will launch the target into the air. It is mainly used to position an opponent into a vulnerable aerial position. This move by itself is harmless, but it is usable as a stepping stone for a great many powerful techniques like Front Lotus and the Lion Combo. That being said, it also has a rather high degree of difficulty.

**Kikaichu - Parasitic Destruction Insects:** The kikaichu are a species of small, beetle-like insects that are bred and utilized exclusively by the Aburame clan, forming the basis for all of their unique techniques.


	26. Her Cheering Skills

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Engineer4Ever:** Maybe Sasuke should have more problems with Dosu – so why didn't I make it so? The short story is that I was probably too lazy to write it in more detail, and him having more trouble with. The longer story is that there is going to be so many fight scenes in the next chapters, and I don't want to burn out.

Sure, Naruto could probably just have knocked Sakura out with one punch. But as much as Naruto acts mature (and is mature), she does like some small form for revenge. So showing Sakura how big the gap in skill is between them was really her giving her the longer finger. And there are more reasons behind it – which you will find out in this chapter.

**Eurwen de Vrill:** Gaara and Naruto will have more of a brother-sister bond - just stronger. I think they are best described as kindred spirits. There won't be a romantic interest between them.

That's not to say that there won't be any problems with the growing romance between Kiba and Naruto. Naruto is, after all, the last of her clan, and needs to revive The Uzumaki clan. And Kiba is the heir of his clan. There could be some trouble there ;).

**Decius23:** Details about 'Shoton of Konoha' can be found in the Author's Note at the end of this chapter, or on my profile page.

**Sevenfox:** It has been a big priority for me to show that Naruto is rather strong, but she isn't overpowered. The strength and power she has, she has worked her ** off to get - well, except the Kyuubi ;). It's important for me that the readers know that. Of course, after she has been on her journey with Jiraiya, she is going to be strong as hell. But that happens when you train for three years alongside a hundred kage bunshin ;).

There will be more fluff from now on. It was just important for me to establish the story and personalities first. The real romance will first begin in Shippuuden, but we will have fluff from now. I don't know how well it will be written, as I've never really written anything fluffy before. But I'll try my best ;).

**UNBETA'ED! Will be beta'ed as soon as possible!**

**Chapter 26:** Her Cheering Skills

* * *

_The whiskered girl sighed. "That was what I was afraid off. Well then, let me finish it for you." She brought up a kunai with a paper wrapped around the handle. With pinpoint precision she threw it at the last spot where a seal was missing. Only now did Sakura notice that she was in the middle of a circle with seals. The Konoha jinchuuriki smirked. "__**Fuin!**__" The seals glowed before signs began expanding from the seals and connected with each and every seal. When that was done, long robes of signs shot out from each seal and wrapped themselves around Sakura, forcing her to her knees as she was completely defenseless. _

_Sakura tried to break out of the seal, but by how well they were made, and with Naruto's chakra capacity, she didn't have a chance. Finally she let out a breath in defeat. "I give up."_

"_The winner of the fourth match is Uzumaki Naruto. This means she passes the preliminary rounds," it came from Hayate._

_Naruto jumped down from her position, ignoring the looks she was getting, and walked over to the kunai she had thrown. As she picked it up, the seals disappeared, and Sakura was set free… unfortunately._

* * *

- With Haku and company –

"U-unreal…"

"You really weren't kidding when you spoke of how strong she was."

Chojuru and Ruka were looking slightly fearful at the prospect of going up against the Uzumaki heiress. Sure, the other Konoha kunoichi hadn't put up much of a fight, but Naruto had ended the fight without pulling a single punch – and with many of her skills still a mystery.

"No, I wasn't. And you haven't seen nothing yet. She didn't even pull a punch in that fight," Haku stated without wavering.

"She did well… You gotta watch out for her," Zabuza stated behind them. "She may have revealed some of her abilities, but only just enough to scare her contestants shitless."

"W-what do you mean, sens-sei?" Chojuru stammered.

Ruka nodded. "Wouldn't it have been better if she was able to conceal all of her abilities?"

"That's one way to do it. Another way to do it is to reveal only just enough to show what you're capable of." He looked intently at the redheaded Konoha kunoichi as she walked past them. "She has a grasp of fuinjutsu unseen for a long time. She won her match without breaking a sweat or a punch. And she did that without her opponent finding out before the very end. And she has made sure that people know that it's only a small part of her abilities."

"But wouldn't that be counterproductive? To make people vary of you?" Haku asked with a frown. "Others will just start to train even more if they're going up against her."

"You can't prepare against things you don't know. Do _you_ know much of her abilities, others than what she has shown here, and what she showed in Nami?"

- With the Suna Siblings -

"That's the Konoha kunoichi who took you down, Kankuro," Temari said with a frown. "She could be trouble."

"She did _not_ 'take me down'. I was just unprepared," Kankuro growled, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Beside, why should we be worried? We don't even know her abilities."

"Exactly," Temari scolded her younger brother. "To be able to conceal so many of your abilities, so far into the exams… she knows what she is doing. And if her abilities involve fuinjutsu, then we have no idea what we're dealing with."

"But-"

"Shut up, Kankuro," Gaara said in his monotone voice. "She won't be a problem. Mother thirsts for her blood. Mother will have her blood."

- With Team 8 -

"That was _awesome_, Princess!" Kiba shouted at Naruto as she approached her sensei and teammates.

"Auf!" Akamaru barked before jumping from Kiba to Naruto, the heiress catching the ninken in the air.

"I told you not to call me that!" Naruto tried to scold her crush, but she couldn't keep the smile off of her face. Mockingly, Kiba brought his hands up in a surrendering gesture, which made Hinata giggle. The redheaded heiress just rolled her eyes. She wouldn't tell him, but was it so wrong that she was beginning to like the nickname Kiba had given her.

"Sorry, sorry. But couldn't you have beaten her a little more?" he asked with wild hand movements. "I mean, you didn't even throw a punch, much less give her any bruises!"

"I'd say her pride is more than a little bruised," Hinata noted amusingly as she looked at Sakura. The civilian-born kunoichi looked very subdued, indeed.

"Good job, Naruto," Kurenai nodded proudly to her student. "It was a fight your clansmen would have been proud of."

That wasn't a comment Naruto had expected, and it took her by surprised. A much more subdued smile spread on her lips, a real sincere smile. "Thank you, sensei."

"Congratulation with your victory, Uzumaki-san." Naruto turned around and saw the Kiri genin and Zabuza. It looked like it was Haku who had spoken. "It was an impressive show of fuinjutsu. I'm looking forward to fighting against you again."

"Thank you," Naruto acknowledged them. She then turned to the Demon of the mist and nodded in greeting to him, "Zabuza-san."

"Uzumaki-san," he nodded back with a grin.

The redheaded kunoichi turned her gaze back to the Hyoton user. "I must admit, I'm looking forward to seeing how your skills have improved since Nami no Kuni. I doubt many will be able to escape _that_ jutsu." Team 8, Haku and Zabuza knew what she was referring to: the Ice Dome. But as a gesture of good faith, Naruto didn't mention it out loud to her peers. Haku nodded back at her, and was about to come with a reply, when Hayate's voice interrupted her.

"Fifth match, Sabaku no Temari and Yamanaka Ino. Please step forward." Ino's eyes widened when she saw Temari of the Sand across the room, wearing a truly vicious grin – Naruto's grin earlier didn't even come close to matching it. The two kunoichi began walking down to Hayate.

Kiba waited so Ino was exactly in hearing range, before he turned to the rest of his team. "I hope the Suna girl slaps her around a bit. Kami knows the fangirl deserves it."

"Auf!"

Naruto hummed in agreement, as Ino froze where she stood. She turned around to look at Team 8. Hinata wore an impassive look, while Kiba where grinning. Naruto just lifted an eyebrow, as to say 'what you gonna do about it'? For a second it looked as if she was going to retort, but as Hayate called her name again, she walked down from the shared Konoha and Kiri rafter.

The Uzumaki heiress looked at Temari, and then her siblings. Kankuro, the boy who had been stupid enough to attack Konohamaru, were looking at his sister and her opponent with anticipation. The youngest Suna sibling, however, were looking directly at Naruto. As they locked eyes, Naruto knew that if she hadn't felt the chakra and rage of the Kyuubi, she would've gotten chills. Again, that feeling of familiarity spread in her chest. She shook it off, and began observing the two contestants.

It was clear from just the way they stood that Temari had more experience. She was at least a couple of years older, but that didn't mean anything in the shinobi world. But they way she was standing, with confidence and no fear of losing… She wasn't green to the arts of shinobi. The opposite could be said for the Yamanaka heir – it was painfully obvious that Ino valued her looks more than her skills. As she was standing under the gaze of the Suna kunoichi, she faltered and you could see her determination being chipped away as the second went by.

"Begin!" Hayate announced, as he shunshined away from the two kunoichi. Ino charged right away – if you could call what she did a charge. There was no way Temari could _not_ predict where Ino would be next.

Temari dodged every single strike without even trying. Naruto realized this must be what her fight with Sakura had looked like. It had barely been a minute before Temari looked bored. With speed Ino couldn't match, she grabbed the fan on her back, and swung it at the clan heiress, hitting her square in the temple. Ino was flung back a few meters, landing with a 'thump' on the ground. She didn't get up.

Hayate shunshined down beside her and checked her vitals. After a few seconds of that, he stood up.

"The winner of the fifth match is Sabaku no Temari." No words were said as Asuma brought Ino up, and Temari quietly walked up to her brothers.

Hinata had her face covered in her palm. "Right now I don't know whether to laugh, or…"

"Or be angry with Ino for such a display while representing Konoha," Kiba finished with a slight scowl.

"I know what you mean, but what did you expect? Ino barely have skills enough to be a genin. If she truly wishes to be a chunin – and jounin in the future – she needs to get her act together, and start taking being a kunoichi seriously. That means everything else comes second, even her beauty and fangirl-tendencies."

"I know, I know…" Kiba growled as he crossed his arms. "But is it wrong that I at least hoped that the girl would help uncover some of her opponent's abilities? I mean, that Temari revealed as little as you did, if not less." A few meters from Team 8, the conscious members of Team 10 were listening in. They all knew it was true, but still they felt like defending their teammate.

"Still…" Kurenai tried. "Ino didn't go up against an easy opponent. From what we've seen, the Suna shinobi isn't to be easily trifled with." Team 8, including Akamaru, let out an unanimous snort. Kurenai couldn't blame them; a few years ago she would've acted like them. And she still didn't look lightly on the 'fangirls' that made it so hard to be respected as a kunoichi.

The Kiri team, knowing they were here in a diplomatic mission in addition to the chunin exam itself, didn't participate in that conversation. Even so, they couldn't help but agree: while Konoha had shown it had some strong shinobi – Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto –, it had also shown some very weak kunoichi.

Everyone in the room looked up at the screen as the bulletin board went through the remaining genin's names. It settles on Nara Shikamaru and Tsuchi Kin. Naruto perked up at that. "Now, this should be interesting."

"How so?" Ruka asked.

"Shikamaru-san is one of the smartest people in this room. He is the heir of the Nara clan, a clan that relies much on strategy and logic," Hinata explained the medic-in-training. "He might not be as physically strong as, for example, Kiba-kun here. But if they matched up, I honestly do not know who would win."

Kiba scoffed. "I would, of course. Shikamaru is too lazy to do anything about it. I'm surprised he hasn't given up already, because it's 'too troublesome'." Akamaru let out a sound that sounded awfully lot like a snicker.

"I don't know how impressed I am about the Oto-nin, though," Naruto said, ignoring Kiba's comment – after all, it was very true. "Both Dosu-san and Zaku-san went down fairly easily. They had some interesting abilities, but they could've been utilized much better."

Zabuza looked and listened to Team 8, and was impressed by what he observed. He turned to Kurenai. "You've trained them well, Yuhi-san."

She smiled. "Thanks. But I'm afraid I can't take all the credit – they were very smart already when I got them." Zabuza's response was a grunt.

Shikamaru sighed as he stood in front of his opponent. "How troublesome… It's going to be tough dealing with a girl." Naruto's right eyelid twitched at that comment, but let it go.

"Well, then, I'll finish this quickly," Kin, the Oto kunoichi, responded impassively.

"Nara Shikamaru vs. Tsuchi Kin. Begin!"

As Naruto had predicted, it was a very interesting fight. Kin was shown to be an accomplished senbon user – though, nothing like what Haku had shown herself to be –, even going as far as to learn _Kage Senbon_. After having failed to dodge the first time, Shikamaru quickly adapted, and wasn't hit anymore. That's when Kin had shown her adapt in genjutsu – and an audible one at that.

Using the bells she had attached to her senbon, she was able to catch Shikamaru in her genjutsu. But before she had been able to finish him off, Shikamaru had caught her in his _Kagemane no Jutsu_. With that, he tricked Kin to bang her head against the wall of the arena, effectively knocking her out and winning.

"Winner, Nara Shikamaru," Hayate announced.

"I-I see what you mean, Konoha-san," Chojuru stammered. He, as the whole of his team, was impressed. That fight was truly a fight of wits, more than strength. And an opponent with wits is often more dangerous than an opponent with brawn. The electronic bulletin board went through the genin names again. But you didn't have to look to see one of the names picked.

"Hell yeah! Finally our turn, Akamaru!" Kiba exclaimed as he jumped up and down in anticipation, as his name, alongside Akimichi Chouji, was shown on the board. "We'll be able to take Chouji down for sure!"

"Good luck, Kiba-kun," Hinata said.

"Show him hell," Naruto grinned.

Instead of walking down the stairs – as _every_ other contestant had done – he simply jumped over the railing. He was very… jumpy, as he stood by Hayate, awaiting on Chouji coming down. While the Akimichi heir looked relieved to see that he wouldn't be fighting the last Suna sibling – not that Naruto could blame him: Gaara was creepy as hell – he didn't seem to look forward to the fight with Kiba.

"The seventh match of the preliminary rounds: Inuzuka Kiba vs. Akimichi Chouji," Hayate announced.

"Good luck, Chouji!" Shikamaru encouraged.

"Fatty!" Naruto looked over with disbelieving eyes; it was Ino. "Mr. Fatty!"

Chouji's demeanor changed immediately. "Damn it, they're going to get it! I'm going to finish this match quickly, and then beat them up into a pulp!"

Naruto bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. '_Ok, note to self: don't call Chouji fat_.' It was hilarious to see how a single comment could change the normally gentle boy, to a violent shinobi. Of course, that was why Ino had said it. '_Huh; guess she does care about her teammates on some level…_' She looked over at where Sakura was with Shino; every once in a while she would look at the door Kakashi and Sasuke had gone. And it wasn't with her 'fangirl' eyes: she was genuinely worried. '_And so does Sakura…_'

She couldn't think about that right now; her crush was about to fight, and she was damned if she would let anyone stop her from cheering him on. "Go get him, Kiba, Akamaru! Show them that you're not the same as in the Academy!" It drew a few shocked looks in the room – mostly from the Konohan teams. The Ice-Princess of Konoha was cheering someone on! Even if it was her teammate (and unknowingly to most, her crush), it was unheard of.

Kiba looked up at her with slightly wide eyes. It changed into a fierce grin soon enough, and the Uzumaki heiress knew he was going to give it his all. Poor Chouji.

"Begin!"

The words had barely left Hayate's lips before Kiba went through hand seals as fast as he could. "_Fuuton: Reppusho!_" He pushed his hands forward, completely catching the big-boned boy off guard, as the gale he had summoned knocked Chouji off of his feet, and send him a few meters back. Kiba used that moment to get down on his knees, and settled for the Ram seal. "_Gijyuu Ninpou: Shikyaku no Jutsu!_"

Naruto felt the chakra as it left Kiba's tenketsu, and started changing his body. The feral-looking boy fell down on all four, as his nails grew longer and sharper, the outline of his eyes became more defined, and his eyes became slit.

"Let's go!" he said to Akamaru. With that, they charged against Chouji, who was now only just getting up on his feet. With an elbow strike to the solar plexus, the air got pushed out of Chouji's lungs, as he got launched backwards yet again. And again. _And again_. After a minute of such hit-and-run tactics that the Inuzuka clan was famous for, Chouji got pushed into one of the walls. While it must've hurt like hell, it was the first stroke of luck Chouji had had in the fight.

This time he didn't fall down, and had time to retaliate. Seeing Kiba charging again, he waited to the last second, before using his jutsu. When Kiba was less than two meters from the Akimichi heir, Chouji started to move his arm as to hit Kiba. "_Bubun Baika no Jutsu!_"

Kiba didn't see it coming; Chouji's arm expanded to easily three times its normal size, and hit Kiba square in the chest. With Chouji's strength amplified by the tai-ninjutsu, the ninken using shinobi was thrown over three quarters across the arena. Akamaru, only barely escaping the now rampaging Chouji, ran straight to his partner, as to protect him. Kiba didn't take long to get up. Coughing up some blood and spitting it out, he turned to his opponent.

"Impressive. Guess I have to step up my game," he said as he wiped the blood from his chin. He brought out one of his soldier pills.

- In the Stands –

"Oh my, he is really going full out, isn't he?" Kurenai asked in astonishment.

"Are you really surprised, sensei?" Hinata asked with a smile. "Especially considering _who_ is cheering him on?"

"Right," Kurenai said with a smile in her voice, as she and Hinata glanced over at Naruto. Her full attention was on her crush and teammate, only paying half attention to everything else.

"Keep going, Kiba! Don't let him beat you!"

- With Kiba and Akamaru -

"Akamaru!" Kiba called and flipped the pill off his finger. Akamaru caught it and ate it right away. In the matter of seconds, he too was changed; gone where the innocent puppy look, replaced by a feral, and almost hungry, look on the now red fur. "Let's go Akamaru!" While Kiba and Akamaru had an advantage, it wasn't by much. The ninken and his partner was clearly the most ferocious of the contestants, but with Chouji's strength and wide range, he caught them half of the time.

It went on like that for almost two minutes. It was clear that it was only a matter of whom slipped up first. Sadly, Kiba was the one to do just that; thinking he could surprise Chouji when chubby boy's attention was directed at Akamaru, he pushed slightly more chakra into his limps… and ran right into a strike. It was clear this had been Chouji's plan from the start – he wasn't even surprised when he got a gash on his enlarged arm from Akamaru, before the red dog jumped away again, as part of the hit-and-run tactic.

Chouji had clearly poured a great deal more chakra into the strike; this time Kiba flew straight across the arena, and crashed into the wall, causing cracks to form. Kiba fought off the urge to slip into unconsciousness, as he had a great feeling of déjà vu from when Naruto had fought Tadashi. He blinked a few times, fast in succession, as he tried to get the enormous headache that had formed. He was one second from just collapsing, when the one voice that could get him to do anything, sounded.

"Get the hell of your ass, Inuzuka!" The fact alone that Naruto had sworn made his brain kick start. He looked up at the stand to see relief briefly flash over Naruto's features. "Don't you dare go and give up now! You're going to be the laughing-stock of Konoha, after all the bragging you've done!"

He chuckled as he got onto his feet again. "Whatever you say, Princess." It was said to low for her to hear, but that didn't matter. "Akamaru!"

"Auf!"

The now red-furred ninken jumped on top of his partner, as Kiba brought his fingers together for another seal. Chouji knew that they were nearing the end of the match, and decided to show his own ace; it was clear he couldn't hold back against the Inuzuka heir. He quickly made the two seals necessary for his jutsu.

"_Gijyuu Ninpou: Jujin Bunshin!_"

"_Baika no Jutsu_"

Two puffs of smoke enveloped the genin down in the arena. As they disappeared a very inflated Chouji, and two even more feral looking Kiba's was displayed. They certainly didn't waste any more time, as they both charged again: Kiba and Akamaru – no-one, but those with the ability to sense chakra, able to tell them apart – began spinning around their own axis and each other until they were blurs, Chouji retracting his head and limps and started spinning head over heels.

"_Gatsuuga!_"

"_Nikudan Sensha!_"

CRASH

The two opposing, rotating forces hit each other with such force, that wind was knocked off of them, and a great cloud of debris covered them. And there was silence. Naruto bit her lip so hard it almost drew blood. Five seconds passed while the debris cloud settled, no sound coming from the arena. Ten seconds. As they finally crawled across the twenty second marker, the cloud of debris had settled so much that people was able to see what was inside it.

One thing was clear; Chouji was out for the count. He looked as if he had scrapes and cut on his body, but nothing that shouted anything fatal. It looked like he was knocked out from the blunt force of his and Kiba's collision.

Naruto's head whipped across the arena to the other form; Kiba. He was still conscious, but only barely from what the Uzumaki heiress could tell. It was a miracle, really, after having gotten slapped across the floor more than a few times, and then straight into the wall. As Naruto spotted the now white Akamaru unconscious form lying beside Kiba, she concluded that the ninken had probably taken most of the force from the collision, leaving his partner at the brink of consciousness.

Hayate appeared between the unconscious Akimichi heir, and the panting Inuzuka heir. He looked at one of them, then the other, before he raised the hand closest to Kiba.

"The winner of the seventh match; Inuzuka Kiba!"

As soon as Hayate had said it, Kiba's legs buckled under. Naruto was already on the floor of the arena, and appeared beside him in a fraction of a second, catching him before he hit the floor.

"Princess?" Kiba asked in a slurred voice.

Naruto's lip twitched with amusement. "Yeah, Kiba?"

"Did I do any good?"

"Better; you did great."

A smile graced Kiba's lips before he slipped into the bliss of unconsciousness. The medics were there only seconds after, taking him off of Naruto's hands, and laid him on a stretcher. They were about to take him out when Naruto stopped them. "Please wait a second."

One of the male medics frowned. "Uzumaki-san, while Inuzuka-san isn't in danger of dying, we really need to get him checked up."

"Of course," Naruto said as she picked up Akamaru from the hands of another medic, completely ignoring her protests. She jugged over to Kiba's stretcher, and laid Akamaru on him. His arms immediately went over Akamaru's body, as the puppy snuggled into his partner. With a soft smile on her lips she said, "They're never apart. I didn't think he would want to leave his partner behind, no matter how injured he is."

Understanding flashed in the medic's eyes as he nodded. "Of course. But now we really must go." Naruto nodded, as they took her crush through the doors. If it wasn't for her sensibility, she would've jumped when Hinata put a hand on her shoulder. The redhead looked over at the lavender-haired girl, who wore a very knowing look. But for once, she did nothing to deny it.

Hinata rolled her eyes. "Go, be sure he is ok."

Naruto frowned. "I can't. I need to be here to observe the rest of the fights. Every single piece of information I can get on my contestants could help me fair better in the finals. And you still have your fight… You know there is a larger and larger chance of you getting matched against Neji, right?"

Hinata's smiled faltered. "I know. But I'm not giving up. I don't forward to fighting against family-"

"He is hardly family!"

"-, but!" Hinata continued, ignoring Naruto's comment. "I can't exactly shame Team 8 after the show you and Kiba put on, can I?" She chuckled lightly. "You two really are a tough act to follow. And as for observing the other fights; I'll make sure you don't miss anything."

"But what if you are next?" Naruto asked, really not wanting to leave her best friend if she was about to fight.

"The eighth match; Rock Lee vs Sabaku no Gaara. Please vacate the arena, and the will please contestants please step forward," Hayate's voice rang out.

"Looks like you don't need to worry about that," Hinata said. "Go!" Naruto only hesitated for a second, but dashed out the door after Kiba after a quick glance at Hinata, to make sure Hinata was sure. She was.

* * *

Naruto was currently sitting beside Kiba's bed – a complete reverse of the hospital scene in the aftermath of the Border mission. Akamaru was already up and about. Or, rather, he was conscious, and currently being petted by Naruto.

A swell of feelings were flooding the whiskered girls mind as she was looking at her crush. That was one of the things; it didn't seem like just a crush… she really cared for this boy – his idiocy and all. Feeling of love, fear, anger, hope were flooding her mind. But currently the most prominent feeling was _pride_. She was _proud_ of her friend and teammate. _Proud_ of her crush that wasn't only a crush. And '_proud_' wasn't something you normally felt about only friends… was it?

The clan heiress decided to think about it later, and just enjoy the moment as it was. She kept looking at Kiba; it wasn't often she saw him this relaxed. He wasn't ever tense, but he was always doing _something_, and for the love of Kami, _never_ relaxed. Here, right now, she could look at him without any emotion covering his features.

She had to admit that he was more than a little handsome. She found him dead-drop gorgeous, if she was honest with herself. He had that strong and defined jaw, that slightly angled and feral shape of his face from his clan, that wild and untamable heir. And she knew he had those deep, hazel eyes behind the closed eyes – those eyes that he couldn't hide his emotions behind if his life depended on it. Of course, she knew from the many missions they had done together, that he had no bad body either: far from it. His body was well defined. _Very_ well defined. He had almost caught her several times staring at his chest during missions. Almost, but not quite.

"Ah, Uzumaki-san, you're still here?" Naruto's eyes snapped away from Kiba, and onto the medic. He was checking his chart.

"How is he?"

"Don't worry, he will survive." He put down the chart, as he pulled Kiba's shirt up, very well noticing the Uzumaki heiress' blush. "He doesn't have a lot of injuries; only two broken rips, and a bruised kidney. Our biggest concern is that concussion of his. He will need to be confined to a bed for half a week."

Naruto winced, "He isn't going to like that."

"I can imagine – a trait he has picked up from you, Uzumaki-san," he chuckled as he pulled the shirt back down. "You should get back to the arena. The fight between Rock Lee and Sabaku no Gaara hasn't finished yet."

"What?" Naruto asked disbelieving. She knew she had been here for at least half an hour – none of the fights had taken more than twenty minute at most. Had she really been so concerned for Kiba that her internal clock had mistaken the time. That was proven to be false, as she looked at the clock on the wall. She looked back at the medic, "and you're sure he will be fine?"

"Quite. I wouldn't surprise if he didn't wake before a couple of hours. A concussion on top of how much chakra he used… he will be exhausted, but fine." That was all Naruto needed to hear, before she headed out the door, and back towards the arena.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the late update – especially in this part of the story. I really don't have any excuse but that I've been feeling less inspired. Guess my muse have taken a small vacation, or something like that. It's just _so_ hard for me to write especially this part, where all that is happening is fighting, fighting and fighting. Sure, it's not the same people who are doing the fighting, but still…

Which is why I have decided that, for now, I will update The Red Tempest of Konoha biweekly instead of weekly. For those of you who don't know what that means; I will update it every second week, instead of each week. Sure, it can happen that I'm inspired, and spout out an extra chapter, but don't hold your breath for it. The good part of it? I'll try to make sure that each chapter has about 7,5k words in them. And before you say it; yes, I know this chapter hasn't got that many words.

I have gotten a few (very few in fact) complaints about the size of the Author's Note on some of the chapters. Well, I want to clarify something for you; I actually write my story in one document, and answer/write author's note/ninjutsu vocabulary in another document. I only merge the two documents when I'm satisfied with the length of the actual chapter. As you have probably noticed, the chapter length vary from chapter to chapter, but I _try_ to write at least 5k – and now 7,5k – words in each chapter, less so if it's a 'filler/transition' chapter, and more so if it's a 'end of arc' chapter.

You may still say that some of my Author's notes are too long, and I'm only trying to get my word count up. Well… I actually didn't think of that before someone pointed it out to me. I write stuff in the Author's note I actually think is relevant, and I write the jutsu vocabulary because I know _I_ sometimes have trouble recognizing jutsu sometimes. So… Sorry if you don't like it, but unless I get really extensive complaints, then I'm not going to change it anytime soon.

I apologize for not finishing the chunin exams in this chapter – but the length of the chapters would get very irregular the next couple of chapters, if I had the next fights with it. Rest assured that the last three fights WILL happen in the next chapter, possibly with some of the aftermath.

On another note: THANK YOU to EVERYONE who reviewed. I finally reached 500 reviews, which has been a goal for me for some time. I would write every single one of your names, if it wasn't that many! Next up is 1000 reviews ;) half way there already!

I would also like to thank **Skyking99** who have accepted the job of being beta on TRToK. He has already begun going through the enormous job of beta'ing the chapters which has already been uploaded to the site, and I'll tell you – it really makes a difference. I'm honored that someone likes the story _so much_ that they're willing to go through it to catch mistakes, so it gets even better. Or at least easier to read ;).

If you want a say in what movie I will be writing into the story, in place of the Sasuke Retrieval arc, then please do visit my profile and vote. The choice is between the three first movies (the one where Naruto is twelve to thirteen years old).

That is really all I have to sat for now. Until next time :)

**Kage Senbon – Shadow Senbon:** A simple technique using senbon, the user throws senbon with bells attached and senbon without bells at the same time. The intention is that the opponent will only react to the sound of the bells and won't notice the silent ones, getting hit by these. This technique focuses on how the brain instinctively works: reacting to the sound, the brain "forgets" about the information provided by the other senses. However, it is very easy to evade the attack if the opponent recognizes the trick and simply focuses on all the thrown senbon.

Kin Tsuchi makes a more advanced use of this technique by attaching strings to the thrown bells and ringing them from unexpected positions, distracting her opponent long enough for her to attack.

**Kagemane no Jutsu – Shadow Imitation Technique:** The Kagemane no Jutsu allows the user to extend their shadow on any surface (even water) and as far as they want as long as there is a sufficient area. Once it comes into contact with a target's shadow, the two merge and the target is forced to imitate the user's movements.

**Gijyuu Ninpou: Shikyaku no Jutsu - Imitation Beast Ninja Art: Four Legs Technique:** This technique grants animal-like accelerated fighting instinct and reflexes to the user. By enveloping their entire body in chakra and moving on all fours, they can obtain high speed movement and reflexes like that of a wild animal.

Taught only to the members of the Inuzuka clan, this technique forms the basis of a Inuzuka clan member's taijutsu fighting style, and will add even more to their feral-like appearances; their canine teeth, their finger and toenails grow to claw-like length, their eyes also become more wild with their pupils becoming slits. When under the effects of this technique, an Inuzuka will display great feats of physical strength, speed, agility and endurance. The form is best suited for using and supporting the ferocious "hit-and-run" tactics that the clan is well known for, leaving the enemy barely any time to launch a counter attack.

**Bubun Baika no Jutsu - Partial Multi-Size Technique:** A practical application of the Multi-Size Technique which lets one expand their own body. The point of swelling a single part of the body is to use the weight to increase the power of one's physical attacks. Any bodily part may be augmented this way, but for ease of use the arms and legs tend to be chosen quite frequently. The speed of the expansion is exceedingly sudden, which makes it extremely difficult to avoid. Like the majority of the Akimichi clan's techniques, this one requires a considerable amount of chakra.

**Gijyuu Ninpou: Jujin Bunshin – Imitation Beast Ninja Art: Beast Human Clone: **A modified version/mix of the Henge no Jutsu and Bunshin no Jutsu, which is unique to the Inuzuka clan, allows a canine-user to transform their animal companion into a perfect copy of themselves. When combined with the Shikyaku no Jutsu, the user and the animal become virtually impossible to tell apart, since both act equally animalistic. Like any transformation, the technique can be broken by identifying and attacking the animal, thus dispelling the transformation. This technique is often followed by the Gatsuuga.

**Gatsuuga – Fang Passing Fang: **The user and their ninken partner spin at a ferocious speed and deliver many powerful beast-like attacks when contact is made with the target. The force of this attack is strong enough to drill through stone. This attack can be done alone; named Tsuuga.

**Baika no Jutsu - Multi-Size Technique:** This is a secret technique passed down in the Akimichi clan that increases the user's body size by converting their calories into chakra. The user can freely alter their size at will when using this technique, and can use it for an extensive period of time. A common application of the techniques gives the user a very round appearance by mostly increasing the size of the abdominal section, which is done in order to use the Human Bullet Tank technique. Other, more common applications increase the size of the entire body, turning the user into a giant.

**Nikudan Sensha – Human Bullet Tank:** A threatening taijutsu trick that converts the user's large frame into a destructive weapon. The user first uses Multi-Size Technique to make themselves into a human-sized ball, then they tuck in their limbs and use chakra to propel themselves into a powerful roll. Its effective use of weight and the force of rotation make for an even greater lethality than appearances would let on, enough to pulverize someone's hand with but a mere touch. It is difficult for the user to turn in this form. This technique has the added effect of plugging up the user's ears.


	27. Her Friend's Stand

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto, all rights are reserved for Masashi Kishimoto

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

* * *

**Freedomsglowing hand:** I think a lot of people want to see Hinata beat the snot out of Neji. But I won't spoil anything – you will just have to read the chapter to find out what happens.

**Ten no kaitou:** Yeah, I think there might have been some very surprised people in the room, when naruto cheered Kiba on, as it is very unusual for Naruto to cheer on someone. I actually had to think about if it was OOC. But given what we have learned about her, I don't think so. She _is_ slowly but surely opening up to not only her teammates, but also her peers. Well, everyone but Sakura and Ino – though she did observe some very interesting things about them in chapter 26.

**Jrwest:** It's true; I do put more effort into some fights than others. But that's only because there are so god damn many of them in this arc. I already skipped over a bunch of fights by skipping (or rather, not writing) the forest part – and I don't regret it. I'm really just skimming over the fights you already know, and put effort into the new fights – and even then, some will be longer than others.

**PokemonKnight:** The reason why Hinata calls Naruto with a 'kun' suffix in the earlier chapters, and a 'chan' suffix in the later chapters is because I changed it. And I did that because there were so many complaints about – even after I explained that it is actually possible to call a girl 'kun', even if it is not the usual way of addressing.

**Chapter 27:** Her Friend's Stand

* * *

"_Ah, Uzumaki-san, you're still here?" Naruto's eyes snapped away from Kiba, and onto the medic. He was checking his chart._

"_How is he?"_

"_Don't worry, he will survive." He put down the chart, as he pulled Kiba's shirt up, very well noticing the Uzumaki heiress' blush. "He doesn't have a lot of injuries; only two broken rips, and a bruised kidney. Our biggest concern is that concussion of his. He will need to be confined to a bed for half a week."_

_Naruto winced, "He isn't going to like that."_

"_I can imagine – a trait he has picked up from you, Uzumaki-san," he chuckled as he pulled the shirt back down. "You should get back to the arena. The fight between Rock Lee and Sabaku no Gaara hasn't finished yet."_

"_What?" Naruto asked disbelieving. She knew she had been here for at least half an hour – none of the fights had taken more than twenty minute at most. Had she really been so concerned for Kiba that her internal clock had mistaken the time. That was proven to be false, as she looked at the clock on the wall. She looked back at the medic, "and you're sure he will be fine?"_

"_Quite. I wouldn't surprise if he didn't wake before a couple of hours. A concussion on top of how much chakra he used… he will be exhausted, but fine." That was all Naruto needed to hear, before she headed out the door, and back towards the arena._

* * *

Hyuuga Hinata was not squeamish by any means. Neither did she shy away from blood, nor violence. She was heiress to the Hyuuga Clan – a _shinobi_ family –, and was raised as such. Her tolerance for it had only improved as she had befriended Kiba, who did his fair share of idiotic, and occasionally revolting, things. But this fight… What Gaara had done… It tested her.

Gaara hadn't aimed to capacitate, like everyone else in the exam had done. No, he had tried to maim, disfigure, and kill. It had only been made all too clear, when he had _crushed_ Rock Lee's left arm and leg. From what she had overheard from Gai's conversation with one of the medics, Lee's carrier as a shinobi was in danger. Hell, his life as a normal person was in danger.

She was only too happy about that Gaara had also gotten his fair share of injuries. Hinata had been more than impressed that he could open five of the eight _Hachimon_ – and that he had used it to the best of his abilities. Sadly, it wasn't enough.

It was at the moment that the medics were taking Lee out of the room, Gai walking solemnly beside the stretcher, that Naruto burst into the room. She did a double take when she saw the state of the room – not that it was surprising at all. Hayate had announced that there would be a small break while some jounin would repair the worst of the damage done, before the ninth match could ensue.

"What happened?" Naruto asked with wide eyes, as she had reached her teammate.

"The redheaded Suna shinobi…" Hinata started, before turning to look fully at her best friend. "Naruto-chan, I know you don't like the word, but I can't think of any other that describes him. Sabaku no Gaara truly is a monster." As Hinata had expected, Naruto winced at the word that was frequently used to describe her. But that was all it did to her: the look in Hinata's still slightly wide eyes, and the disbelief in her voice, made Naruto realize that whatever Gaara had done, it had been brutal. "It seems that he truly took what Hokage-sama and Mizukage-sama said to heart; this is a replacement of war."

As Hinata finished telling Naruto about the fight in great detail, the whiskered girl's face was set in a tight mask. With her jaws tense, and her brows just the slightest bit furrowed, everyone who knew of the 'Ice Princess' knew not to mess with her now. With eyes that were normally warm and welcoming towards her friends, now piercing orbs of ice, she looked across the room. The boy she had met twice, both times feeling some sort of connection to, stood emotionless: he didn't care about what had happened to Lee. In fact, Naruto could swear that he looked disappointed. As she looked at his siblings, they visibly flinched from her stare.

"How's Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked, trying to get her mind of the previous match. Naruto took an extra second staring at Kankuro, making him fidgeting slightly, before she turned towards her friend.

"He'll survive," she answered Hinata. "He got a few broken bones, and a bruised kidney, alongside a concussion." She paused, before continuing with an amusing tone in her voice, "The medic said Kiba needed to stay in bed for half a week."

Hinata mock-winched. "He isn't going to like that."

"That's what I said," she laughed lightly. It was only then that she noticed that their sensei wasn't there. "Where is Kurenai-sensei?"

Hinata simply pointed over yonder, towards the two Kage and all of the sensei save for Gai. Of course, they spoke to lowly for anyone to be able to hear what was said, but from the expressions they wore, they were in a heated discussion. No doubt because of the brutality, courtesy of Sabaku no Gaara.

"There aren't many genin left…" Naruto said with a frown.

Hinata sighed. "I know. But there is still a chance I won't go up against Neji-niisan. There is still five oth-"

"Will Higarashi Tenten and Kurosuki Chojuro please step forward for the ninth match."

"-still thee other genin I could match up against," Hinata finished. Even as she said that, her brows furrowed. She knew she was _able_ to go up against Neji, and not get completely pummeled. But she didn't want to. Naruto didn't want her friend to up against her cousin either – she knew that Hinata was more than capable, but that she would try not to hurt Neji too badly. The bastard would do no such thing.

At that moment a fierce looking Tenten walked by them.

"Good luck, Tenten-san," Hinata smiled at the weapon-mistress.

Naruto, too, smiled at her newest friend. "Please do show Kiri and Oto that Konoha have more than capable kunoichi – even with the infestation of fangirls."

"Thanks," a very excited Tenten said to them. She had been getting more and more restless to get into the arena, as all the other fights went on – especially the fight between Kiba and Chouji. "Don't worry, Naruto. I'll be sure to show them."

Hinata glanced over at her redheaded friend, as Tenten was walking down the stairs. "You are looking forward to seeing her fight." It wasn't a question, as more of a statement. Hinata was one of the – very – few people who could, somewhat, read Naruto. Right now it was the intensity in her

"Hmm," it came from Naruto as she leaned up the railing. "Look at what she carries by her pouch." At first Hinata had no idea at what her friend was talking about. As far as she could see, Tenten carried what was standard for all Konoha shinobi; a shuriken holster, a pouch, and… scrolls?

"The scrolls?"

Naruto nodded. "I'm looking forward to see how Konoha teaches fuinjutsu… I want to see how much it differs from the Uzumaki fuinjutsu."

For the first time Hinata gave the weapon-user a scrutinizing look. "She doesn't look like a fuinjutsu user. They usually carry several scrolls, and ink."

"True, but I don't carry ink. Looks can be very deceiving: do I look like someone who could level a brick wall? Do Akamaru look like someone who could take down a genin?"

- With Tenten and Chojuro -

The two genin from Konoha and Kiri was silently looking each other up. From what Tenten could see about her Kirigakure counterpart, she surmised that he was a kenjutsu user. Though, not the kind of kenjutsu-user Naruto was: she used a small slim blade, whereas Chojuro's blade was broad, and looked like it was used to deal blunt damage.

At that moment, Hayate coughed into his hand. "The ninth match between Kurosuki Chojuro and Higarashi Tenten. Begin!"

A fraction of a second after Hayate shunshined out of the arena, the two shinobi spurred into action. Tenten pushed chakra into her legs as she saw the Kiri-nin grasp the handle of his blunt sword, and swing it towards her. She immoderately saw an advantage she had; while the sword-hammer-hybrid would do major damage if it hit her, it was slow enough that she could dodge it with time to spare. '_Still… It will only take one hit to either end the match or drastically swing it to favor him_.'

Tenten waited to the last moment before releasing her chakra through her feet, pushing herself backwards and upwards. While Chojuro's sword still was in the middle of the swing, she brought out three shuriken and threw them with great precision. Of course, she had thought that Chojuru's sword was too heavy to move to block her shuriken – and she was right. But she hadn't counted on Chojuru blocking by twisting his wrist, and thus turning the sword so its broadside blocked. Three metallic clinks proved that she hadn't hit him, if the visual wasn't enough – as it rarely is in the shinobi world.

She narrowed her eyes. "All right: gloves are coming off." She started running in a circle around Chojuro, the kiri-nin gulping and tensing up. Tenten brought out a scroll and took off once again. In a great arc above the kenjutsu user, the scroll spread out. As he could see something big was about to go down, Chojuro starting kneading chakra. And just in time: Tenten grabbed the end of the scroll, and started spinning it around her, her herself also spinning in the middle of it.

From the blur of motion that was Tenten and the sealing scroll, a myriad of shinobi-weapons began to fall… and fall. There was at least a few dozen, ranging from your everyday kunai and shuriken, to fuma-shuriken, to specialized blades. The only thing that all the weapons had in coming was that they were sharp as hell.

- With Naruto and Hinata -

The Uzumaki heiress' eyes widened. "Wow. That's…"

"Yes?" Hinata inquired, not taking her eyes of the fight.

"I don't think you get how difficult it is to do, what Tenten is doing," Naruto explained in slight awe. "I doubt I would be able to do it."

This time Hinata turned to her friend. "Tenten is able to do something with fuinjutsu you aren't?"

"No," the redhead answered, her lips twitching into a smile. "While Tenten _is_ using seals, she _isn't_ using fuinjutsu. I can't be sure before I see her scrolls up close, but the seals look like normal storage and time-space seals."

"Time-spac-"

"Teleportation seals; they're used to moved marked objects from their position, to the position of the seal. That isn't really what is impressive; it's the rate of which she is activating the seals in. She has trained really hard to be able to do that. I wouldn't be able to do it at half the speed she is, and that is with Uzumaki seals."

- With Tenten and Chojuro -

Chojuro's eyes widened as he realized he wouldn't be able to dodge nor block all of the very deadly projectiles. Thinking on his feet, he channeled the chakra he had kneading into his sword and began spinning.

Metallic clinging sounded as the weapons hit the rotating mass of chakra. The Hyuuga clan members, and those familiar with their techniques, was very intrigued by the similarity it had to _Kaiten_. Though, 'similar' is a long way from 'the same' – it was clear that _Kaiten_ was far superior: the technique Chojuro was using only had one source, whereas _Kaiten_ had several. Thus, there were many more openings… but it was enough to deflect Tenten's attack, which was from one direction only.

Tenten landed frowning, a good five meters away from Chojuro. While she hadn't gotten an attack through, it was clear that the Kiri-nin had been forced to use something he'd rather not. Tenten wouldn't even think about how much chakra the boy had used. She was very familiar with _Kaiten_, and knew how much chakra it took – and that was with the Hyuuga clan's famous chakra control.

'_So… He won't be able to use it many times in a row. I'm guessing the only reason he used it now was because there was no way he could dodge my attack,_' Tenten though, as the two genin waited for the other to do the next move. Chojuro probably wasn't going to be the one initiating an attack, as he had seen how good she was with weapons. '_I __**could**__ just keep attacking like I did before, but that increases the risk of him finding another way out – that, and I don't think I have enough scrolls left to be able to wear him out…_ _I also don't want to keep the fight going for longer than strictly necessary. Naruto showed clearly how much a hidden skill set can be to ones advantage._'

Just as Chojuro was getting too impatient, and was about to charge, Tenten burst into action once again. It was clear she knew what she had to do. Starting with throwing a barrage of shuriken and kunai from her holsters, she forced Chojuro back another two meters, as she herself jumped back three meters. That was enough distance to set her plan in motion.

She brought out two scrolls, both visibly larger and thicker than the one she used before, and kneeled. Setting them down in upright position, and quickly went through the seals to activate them. '_Tora, Ryu, Saru, Usagi, Hebi_,' Tenten thought as she did the individual seals. Chojuro realized she was going to do something big, and began charging, but it was too late.

"_Soushouryu!_"

The whole arena below the stands were covered in white smoke. Several spectators gasped as two dragonheads of smoke appeared right above where Tenten had done the ritual, quickly ascending and spinning around each other. The smoke quickly dispelled, and it became clear the two scrolls had been inside the dragons – now they were twisted around each other, with enough space for Tenten inside them.

Remembering her training, she pushed the chakra she had out into her arms and legs to increase her speed. And she began throwing a myriad of weapons on the genin from Kirigakure no Sato.

The blue-haired boy looked with terrified eyes at the weapons speeding towards him. It was _a lot_ more than before – and they kept coming. From the blur that was Tenten, that slowly worked her way through the scroll, there didn't seem to be an end in sight. And with 'slowly' he meant that she was only about a fourth through the scroll – she was throwing those weapons so fast he nearly couldn't see her hands moving.

Gulping, he pushed his chakra into his sword again, knowing that if she kept it up he would run low on chakra. And he used his chakra shield again.

- With Haku and Ruka -

"It seems our history books didn't exaggerate Konoha's shinobi," Ruka said with wide eyes, as her teammate and friend was bombarded with weapons.

Haku nodded. "If anything, I think the books played Konoha's power down. I mean," she looked around the room, "_look at them_. If we forget about the Uchiha and Uzumaki heirs for a moment, then there is still Nara Shikamaru, Inuzuka Kiba, Rock Lee, and now this Higarashi Tenten."

"Yeah," Ruka gulped, as she looked over at two only remaining non-kiri genin that hadn't fought. "And by the looks of it, the last two is of the Hyuuga clan."

"The girl is the heiress of the Hyuuga clan."

"I must admit, I didn't understand why Mizukage-sama wanted a alliance with Konoha so much, when Suna or Kumo would've made it easier – but then again, I'm no politician. But after seeing the _genin_ of Konoha, I'm kinda afraid to see chunin, or even jounin."

Haku 'hmm'ed. "Don't forget; Konohagakure no Sato has never lost a way, it was the first village to be build, and it's the birthplace of the Densetsu no Sannin."

- With Tenten and Chojuro -

As Tenten landed again, feeling the slight strain she had put her muscles under, she saw Chojuro lower his sword with trembling arms. He looked close to giving up, but the look in his eyes told her he still needed the last push. She grinned at him, and he looked helplessly as she jumped high in the air again, and tugged on the wires.

Chojuro knew he couldn't win against the weapon-mistress of Konoha, when he saw that every weapon from her last attack was attached to wires, and they were not hanging menacing from the air, awaiting Tenten's command. However, Konoha had always been noble, and thus was her genin, so Tenten waited just a second to see if Chojuro would give without her having to spill his blood – which she was more than willing to do.

The sharp-toothed genin released his grip on his sword – it clanged against the stone floor when it hit it – and dropped to his knees in true Kirigakure tradition. "I, Kurosuki Chojuro, admit defeat."

Hayate appeared between them, and raised the hand closest to Tenten. "The winner of the ninth match: Higarashi Tenten!"

- With Naruto and Hinata -

Both Hinata and Naruto clapped at Tenten's accomplishment.

"See, _that's_ what a kunoichi is supposed to be like," Naruto nodded in satisfaction. She _knew_ there was a reason she had liked the older girl. Hinata's lip twitched in amusement. There really weren't a lot of things that could get a reaction out of Naruto when she wasn't in private with her friends – but the subject of kunoichi was one of the things that could.

"She certainly has found her talent, and uses it to her full advantage," Hinata agreed. "Though, if she was up against a fuuton user, I'm guessing the end result would be very different."

"Are you enjoying the fights?" Kurenai asked as she finally came back to her remaining students. She turned to Naruto with a frown, "I thought you would be with Kiba?"

Naruto blushed as Hinata answered. "The fights are interesting, though the one between Sabaku no Gaara and Lee-san was… disturbing."

"I agree," Kurenai said warily. "But apparently he didn't do anything wrong. According to the Suna jounin, if anyone is to blame, it's Hayate-san." Both girls frowned, and Kurenai quickly continued before they could lash out at their _supposed_ ally. "Neither Hokage-sama nor Mizukage-sama agrees with him. The jounin from Oto does, however."

"Please explain how they can blame what Gaara did on Hayate-san," Naruto asked. She glared over at the Suna siblings again – though this time they didn't notice.

"They aren't blaming Hayate directly. But they say that since Hayate hadn't ended the fight yet, Gaara-kun had every right to continue to fight Lee." A frown was now also present on the young jounin's face, "If you look at it completely technical, I guess Suna and Oto are right. But Konoha and Kiri both agrees that it was a very violent way to end the fight in. Oto retorted with their own speech, about this being a replacement for war."

"So, nothing is going to happen?" Hinata asked, her face looking a little sick.

"No," Kurenai said with distaste written all over her face. "They basically got a slap on the wrist." She took a deep calming breath, and was _very_ happy she wasn't a politician. It was _exhausting_ to deal with stuff like this. Finally she turned to Naruto, "You still haven't answered me; didn't you go with Kiba before?"

"Y-yes I did," Naruto stammered very out of manner as she blushed. Kurenai smirked; she wasn't a matchmaker or anything, but even she could see that Naruto and Kiba was good for each other. It was clear that since Nami no Kuni that the two had become more than friends, but she hadn't seen them move forward. It seemed like they finally were.

"Kiba will be fine," Naruto answered as she got her blush and vocal-cords under control again. "A few broken bones and a concussion – nothing too serious. I'm here because I want to make sure that Neji doesn't pull some crap on Hinata if they have to fight each other."

"Neji wouldn't-"

"Yes he would," Naruto said a bit forcefully. She smiled almost sadly at her friend. "I'm sorry, but Neji _would_ pull some crap on you if he had the chance. He hates you for who he thinks you are, and won't listen to you to learn he is wrong."

Kurenai put a hand on each of her pupils shoulders when Hinata was about to disagree. "I guess we will find out now," she said nodding at the bulletin board. The female of Team 8 held their breath as the board went through the last four names faster and faster. At last it settled on two names.

Yuki Haku vs. Yoroi Ruka

Naruto groaned. "Of all the…" She then tentatively looked at Hinata. The Hyuuga heiress gulped, but tried to regain her posture.

"Hinata…" Kurenai tried, but Hinata did something she didn't do often. She put up a façade.

"Please don't, sensei. If I must fight Neji-niisan, then I must fight Neji-niisan." The pale-eyed girl took a deep breath.

Naruto and Kurenai shared a look meanwhile; the red-eyed jounin looked worried, but Naruto had understanding in her eyes. Hinata was preparing herself. She had done the same thing when she had confronted her father years earlier, when he wanted to pull her out of the Academy, and back into full clan-training, when she had improved.

Naruto was still _very_ worried about the impending fight between her best friend and her cousin… But she knew that Hinata wouldn't just take it – of course, it would take a lot to make her go all out, but at least she wouldn't lie down and get beaten like a puppy.

The redhead glanced over at Tenten and Neji. Tenten seemed to be fidgeting, glancing occasionally over at Hinata. Neji… Neji seemed to be even more reserved than normal. There was no emotion to read on his face at all – you would have better luck trying to read a mood from a brick wall.

The Uzumaki heiress sighed heavily. She could only hope that Hinata would actually go seriously against Neji. If she won, Neji might actually learn something... or it would make him hate Hinata even more.

- With the Kiri team -

Yuki Haku vs. Yoroi Ruka

"Of all the luck…" Zabuza murmured as he facepalmed himself.

Ruka looked at Haku, who looked back at her. They both knew that Haku was stronger than Ruka, and it would take a miracle for the medic-in-training to win. Ruka was a _supporting_ team-member. She wasn't trained to be at the frontlines; she was trained to back her teammate up from the shadows, and come and heal them after they had beaten the enemy. If it had been Chojuro, he might've had a chance, but not Ruka.

In all the time they had trained, Ruka had only won a spar against either of them four times – all of the times because something out of her control happened. But that was ok; they were _supposed_ to be stronger than her. They were there to partially protect her, so that she could take care of _them_ after they were done.

"Yuki Haku and Yoroi Ruka, please enter the arena," Hayate said from the now very battered arena.

"Better get down there," Haku said. Ruka nodded and followed, thinking really hard on what to do. When they finally was in front of Hayate, it had become clear. After all, their mission here was twofold: show Konoha, and any other village that may attend, Kirigakure's strength during the Chunin exams, and make an alliance with Konoha. The outcome of the alliance, and the rules of it, heavily relied on them impressing Konoha.

Hayate looked at the two kunoichi from Kiri, lingering a little longer on Ruka. "The tenth match between Yuki Haku and Yoroi Ruka-"

"Wait!" Ruka said, drawing every single look in the room. "I give up."

Haku's eyes widened. "Ruka! What are you doing? You still have a chance against me."

Ruka shook her head with a small smile. "Haku-chan, we both know that it will take a miracle for me to beat you if you go all out. Remember our mission; impress everyone. You will have better chances in the Third Exam if as few as possible know about your abilities."

"But-" Haku tried, but was cut off by Hayate.

"Yoroi Ruka-san, are you sure?"

She nodded. "I am. I, Yoroi Ruka, give up."

Hayate nodded. "Very well. The winner of the tenth match is Yuki Haku!"

There wasn't any cheering or booing this time; nothing had happened after all. While Ruka knew she had done the right thing for the success of their mission, a small part of her couldn't help but feel she had cheated Haku from win her place for real. That however was quickly pushed out of her mind when Zabuza nodded approvingly at her. And as she looked over at the Mizukage by the Hokage, she seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Again, Hayate coughed in his hand. "Well then. We'll go right ahead to the eleventh and final match. Hyuuga Hinata and Hyuuga Neji, please step forward." Less than twenty seconds later, the two Hyuuga clan members, one of the main house, one of the branch house. Ever to be the royal family of Konoha, complete with manners, they greeted each other.

"Hinata-sama."

"Neji-niisan."

Neji seemed to scowl for a fraction of a second at the suffix his cousin used. If Naruto were to guess, it was most likely because he thought she was mocking her – when in reality, she was trying to show him that she didn't consider herself above him, of him beneath her.

"The eleventh match between Hyuuga Hinata and Hyuuga Neji. Begin!" Hayate said, and for the last time that day, shunshined out of the arena to make place for a fight. But the two Hyuuga clan members didn't move. Instead, Neji began to talk.

"Before we fight, let me warn you about one thing, Hinata-sama," Neji said in a cool voice. "Give up! You're not suited to become a shinobi! You're too kind. You seek harmony and avoid trouble. And you just go along and follow someone else's idea. And you have no self-confidence. You always feel inferior. That's why you thought it would be fine to remain a genin. But you cannot register for the Chunin Exam unless there are three people – one team. You couldn't refuse Kiba and _her_. And the truth is that you are taking this exam unwillingly. Am I wrong!?"

Hinata's eyes widened for a second – she was truly surprised that Neji would say such a thing. She listened to him, and she started remembering how she was. She actually started feeling how she had felt – how he was saying she was. But at the mention of her teammates, and the way he addressed _her_ best friend, something snapped into place inside her.

She briefly glanced up at Naruto who seemed to be glaring really hard at Neji. And she would bet if she had as good a hearing as Kiba, she would hear the steel of the railing buckle under the sapphire-eyed genins grip. At that moment she remembered why Naruto would act like that, and she remembered what she had learned in all these years of being friend with Naruto: don't let anyone tell you what you can and can't do.

And Naruto and Kiba had been right about Neji; she could tell that much from the speech he had just held for her. He was stuck in his hatred for the Main House. He saw who he thought she ought to be. But, Hinata decided, he wasn't a bad person. He was a good person bad things had happened to. But she couldn't stand the way he thought about her. Small. Fragile. Incompetent.

She couldn't have him see her like that if she wanted to change the Hyuuga clan for the better. She couldn't have _anyone_ see her like that, if she wanted to get rid of the juinjutsu.

So, she turned her gaze back to Neji, now her eyes slightly narrowed. Neji didn't expect that.

"Yes, Neji-niisan, you _are_ wrong," Hinata said, no waver in her voice present. "I will _not_ give up. Yes, I am kind, and yes, I do seek Harmony, and would rather not see trouble. But I do _not_ avoid it. I follow people's ideas if they make sense, and I trust them to see it through." Neji was now visibly scowling at her. "You still see me as how I was when I was little. You're stuck in the past, never moving forward, never changing. I am not. I've changed, and I'm saddened to see that my own cousin hasn't noticed that. For if you haven't, how can I count on people from other villages, other clans, even people in our own clan, to see that?"

"Hinata-sama, you really _are_ a spoiled child of the main family," Neji said, trying to control the sneer in his face, as he spat his next sentence out. "People cannot change! A failure is a failure. His personality and power will not change. People cannot change, so that's why terns like 'elites' and 'failures' exist. Everyone judges you by how good your face, head, abilities, body shape, and personality are. _There are things that cannot be changed._ People suffer due to their limits, and live. Just like how we can't change the face that I am from the branch family and you are from the head family. My Byakugan has seen many things; that's how I know!" All through his speech, Hinata simply looked at him. She didn't show any response to what he was saying. And it infuriated him.

"You're just trying to be tough," the branch family member finished. "You are really thinking about how you want to leave this place right now."

Finally finished, Hinata took a deep breath. She _knew_ what he was saying wasn't true. She knew that he had had a hard childhood growing up in the branch family with the juinjutsu, but Hinata knew that there were people who had had it worse, and who had made it through it much better than Neji had. One example: Naruto.

"If that's what you believe, then that is what you believe. It is clear that words alone won't change your opinion," Hinata said and began going through seals. "So we will fight. _Byakugan!_"

Neji scowled at her, and went through the same seals. "_Byakugan!_" They settled into the same stance. And they looked at each other, determined to see who would go first.

As to prove her point, that she _had_ changed, Hinata was the first to strike. She focused chakra into the tenketsu in the middle of her right palm, and aimed after Neji's chest. Seeing the strike come, Neji quickly blocked his cousin by pushing her wrist to the left, and pushing her hand out the way. He could still feel the chakra be released mere centimeters from his body.

But Hinata didn't let this stop her; she tried to strike again, and again, and again. Neji only 'blocked' the first time, settling for dodging the other five hits. At the sixth hit, he saw an opening, and began focusing his own chakra in his palm. He chose to strike after her neck, hoping to be able to worsen her breathing, and thus slow her down, but like him, Hinata saw it coming. She dodged to the left, then to the right. And as Neji aimed for square in her chest, she did something he wouldn't be able to do: she used her flexibility to bent backwards, making Neji strike nothing but air. And the fight had begun.

As the family members, bound to each other by nothing but blood, fought each other, striking and blocking, _slaps_ and _crackling_ could be heard throughout the room. All the spectators were awed by the different way the Hyuuga clan was fighting; there were no fists, no blades, nothing but their open palms and chakra. Of course, no one else but the two fighters could actually see the chakra, but as the fight went on, the air became heavy.

This was clear to no-one like Naruto; she got chills as her chakra sensitivity went on overwork when she felt the familiar chakra of her best friend, mixed with the unfamiliar chakra of one Hyuuga Neji. A lesser chakra-sensor would've buckled under, under the stress of the sense-overload. But not Naruto: she was too caught up in the fight taking place.

It seemed that Naruto and Kurenai were the only people who weren't surprised by the two Hyuuga being similar in power. Or rather; Neji seemed to have more force in his strikes, but Hinata was faster. The end result was that they both ended up doing the same amount of damage to the other – if they could hit the other.

The two fighters were also aware of this. And they knew, if something didn't changed, it was up to something as finicky as luck to decide who would walk out of this fight standing. With that in mind, Hinata twisted her body, and was put her whole body-weight into her next strike, pushing just a bit more chakra, as to be able to strike just the slightest bit faster.

'_Here!_' Hinata thought, as she twisted her body again, and tried to strike Neji. Neji, taken aback at the sudden increase of speed, didn't get out in time. He got nicked. He quickly tried to strike back – but this time it wasn't to hit her, it was to push them apart so he could assess the damage he had taken.

He could feel his cousin's chakra enter his system, as it started wrecking havoc. Lucky for him, it wasn't enough to slow him down. If it had been a full blow, he would've been visibly slowed down, but for a nick like this… it would be a few minutes before the effects became visible.

Hinata knew what his cousin was doing, and used it to her advantage. Quickly changing tactics, she stepped slightly out of her stand, and brought her hands together – only her thumbs and index fingers touching their counterparts – with her palms towards Neji. Charging raiton-chakra in her hands, a medium-sized ball of lightning soon appeared in the space between her hands and fingers.

"_Raiton: Raikyuu!_" Hinata cried out. Neji was so shocked at his cousin using anything but their clans nin- and taijutsu, that he was almost too late in dodging – Almost.

Reacting as fast as he could, he jumped out of the way, twisting in the air. He quickly realized he had made a mistake by 'seeing' Hinata through his Byakugan. As soon as his feet had left the ground, immobilizing him in the air, she had charge, raiton-chakra still largely present in her system. With her great speed, she quickly grabbed his wrist, and threw her other hand up in the air.

"_Raiton: Hiraishin!_"

The electricity created in the air by their chakra, surged towards and collected in Hinata's raised hand, before it ran harmlessly down her arm, across her chest, down her other arm, and into Neji. Neji hissed as his muscles contracted at the surge, and a soon as his feet hit the ground, he spun around trying to hit Hinata. She jumped away before he had the chance.

Neji looked down at his right wrist, now smelling burnt as the flesh was angry red, before glaring up at Hinata. "You would lower yourself to use a lower ninjutsu? Are you truly so desperate, Hinata-_sama_." He didn't even pretend to not mock her suffix, which made Hinata frown: he really did hate who he thought she was.

"I'm not desperate," Hinata denied him in an even voice. "But, as I said, I move forward. I _improve_. 'One must expand ones skill-set, if one wants to be taken seriously.' I live by that now, Neji-niisan."

Neji scoffed. "Who said that?"

"Naruto-chan," Hinata said in a matter-of-fact tone. Up in the stands it was Naruto's turn to scoff – the point may have been the same, but what Hinata had said was a _very_ refined way of what Naruto had told Hinata years earlier. If her memory served her right, she had said something along the lines of 'get off your ass, and stop whining. If you want people to listen, start learning, and start counter what they say'. Basically the same, right?

"That _girl_… No wonder that you're so pathetic as you are."

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "Do not talk of Naruto-chan like that."

He charged again without answering. His attacks seemed more aggressive now, but that was countered by Hinata running raiton chakra down her hands, instead of normal chakra. It didn't do as much damage, but it made Neji flinch multiple times, and drop the attack he was about to do. That only seemed to make his attacks even more aggressive.

Hinata saw an opening at her cousins left shoulder, and she went for it. It turned out to be a trap, but not one she expected. Instead of Neji attacking her chest and vital organs with an open palm, he aimed at her arm with two fingers. Hinata realized what he was about to do right away, and spun around to avoid it. But that left her back wide open. Neji went with it, and aimed at her left lung.

The Hyuuga heiress knew she couldn't block or dodge this. Not in the traditional sense, anyway. And her body was already spinning. Remembering all the hours of training she had put into her clan jutsu, she put more force into her spin, and started pushing chakra out of every single tenketsu in her body. Neji's eyes widened for the first time in surprise as he saw what she was about to do, and began doing the same.

"_Kaiten!_"

"_Kaiten!_"

Nobody spoke – everyone too shocked at what was happening – and the only sound was the two forces colliding, creating big arcs of lightning which stroke down at unpredictable places in the arena. In place of the two genin were two bright, blue domes, spinning around in opposite direction, trying to overpower the other. Again and again they separated, just to clash again.

Ten seconds passed. Twenty seconds. Forty seconds. By forty-five seconds, there was fluctuation in both domes, before it exploded in the face of the two genin. Hinata and Neji were thrown in opposite direction, but neither stayed down for more than a second or two. As they stood up, they looked at each other, their clan's kekkei genkai bulking in their heads, and both heavily panting.

To many it was a wonder they could even stand up at this point. Everyone realized how much chakra it must have taken to create those domes, and here these two genin had kept that up for three-fourths of a minute. But they weren't done; neither main family member, nor the branch family member seemed ready to give up.

"So…" Neji panted. "You have finally learned one of the clan's jutsu. Too bad it won't help you." As he said that, he went into another stance, one arm pointing towards Hinata with his palm toward the ceiling, the pointing backwards, palm towards the floor. He smirked when he saw recognition flash through the eyes of the heir to his clan. "I guess you know what this stance is for. Save yourself; give up."

Defiantly, Hinata shook her head before going into the same stance. "I told you, niisan; I won't give up!" There was a brief moment of silence, as the two cousin looked at each other again.

"_Hakke Rokujuyon Sho!_"

"_Hakke Rokujuyon Sho!_"

With a blur, they burst towards the other. They kept hitting the other's tenketsu, while trying to avoid being hit themselves. The air between the two was but a blur, as they kept hitting again and again. At last, they were pushed from each other, they stood now trembling. And Hinata fell face first into the floor.

"I told you," Neji said exhaustedly. "People cannot ch-"

"_Raiton: Hiraishin!_" Hinata cried into the floor, converting the last of her chakra into raiton chakra, and pushed it into her hand, which was wrapped around Neji ankle. He fidgeted for a few seconds, before he too collapsed. When Hayate finally shunshined down into the arena, both Hyuuga clan members were knocked out.

"Both Hyuuga Hinata and Hyuuga Neji are knocked out. There are no winners of the eleventh match."

No Hyuuga would be represented in the Third and Final Exam of the Chunin Exams.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'm late by a few minutes! I know! But I really wanted to make this good… Well, here you are: Chapter 27 of The Red Tempest of Konoha!

_Finally_ the preliminaries are done. I can't tell you how hard they've been to write. I really hope I did well enough for your taste. Next chapter will be the aftermath, and we'll possibly get to know who will train Naruto for the Third Exam.

Then a personal request of mine: if any of you are artists, or know any artist, that will work for free, I really want to have a piece done for this story. The picture I have in mind is this: during the battle of the bridge in Nami no Kuni, in the battle between Haku and Naruto. It's after Naruto has finished off one of the ice dragons. It's when Hinata is running up the length of the last ice dragon, Haku not knowing the better of it. The point of view: behind Naruto (we see the back of a couple of Naruto's), looking at the front of the dragon and Haku, and seeing Hinata running up with her hand glowing from chakra, and her eyes bulging due to her Byakugan.

If _any_ of you know an artist, please contact me, or have them contact me, or me contact them, or _something_. It's something I would really like to have done.

Well, that's really it for now.

Until Next Time :)

**Hachimon – Eight Gates:** The Eight Gates are eight specific points on a person's Chakra Pathway System. They limit the overall flow of chakra within a person's body. The basis for the idea of the chakra gates comes from the body's limits on the functions within it. This makes the body much weaker, but it keeps the body from expiring too soon. By undergoing intense training, one can learn how to open these gates allowing the user to surpass their own physical limits at the cost of extreme damage to their own body.

**Hakkesho Kaiten - Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven:** A secret taijutsu that is orally handed down only within the main house of the Hyuuga, this technique utilizes the chakra control gained through Gentle Fist training to release a huge amount of chakra from all the chakra points on the user's body. It is also a defensive maneuver to compensate for the Byakugan's blind spot as the released chakra blocks any possible attack on the user. After releasing chakra from every tenketsu in their body, the user then spins rapidly to parry the attack, both creating a rotating shield of chakra around themselves and tossing away any nearby attackers. The user can also actively control the size and power of the sphere to suit the situation.

**Tora – Tiger**

**Dragon – Ryu**

**Monkey – Saru**

**Hare – Usagi**

**Snake - Hebi**

**Soushouryu – Twin Rising Dragons:** A technique unique to Tenten that takes advantage of her superior skills with weapons. First, she places two small scrolls in an upright position on the floor. When activated, the two scrolls release smoke while also flying and spinning into the air in the shape of two dragons made of smoke. Tenten then jumps between the two scrolls, and starts to rapidly summon and throw all sorts of weaponry as a powerful projectile barrage. If the initial attack were to fail, she can control the discarded weapons with wires attached to her fingertips for a surprise attack.

**Juinjutsu – Cursed Seal Technique**

**Raiton: Raikyuu – Lightning Release: Lightning Ball:** By gathering Raiton chakra between his or her hands, the shinobi is able to create a ball of lightning to launch at his or her enemies.

**Raiton: Hiraishin - Lightning Release: Lightning Rod:** After coming into physical contact with the opponent, the user raises their arm into the air, generating a powerful bolt of electricity which travels through their body into the body of the opponent.

**Hakke Rokujuyon Sho - Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms:** With the Byakugan's near 360° field of vision, the user envisions an Eight Trigrams circle. Then the enemy within this circle is hit with a series of violent blows. By striking sixty-four of the tenketsu throughout the opponent's Chakra Pathway System, their chakra flow is stopped, making them unable to even stand.

Once someone is within range of the user's field of divination, the user assumes a Gentle Fist stance and begins to deliver the attack: First, two consecutive strikes to make two. Second, another two consecutive strikes to make four. Third, four consecutive strikes to make eight. Fourth, eight consecutive strikes to make sixteen. Fifth, sixteen consecutive strikes to make thirty two. Sixth, another thirty two consecutive strikes in succession to make a total of sixty four strikes.

Each set of strikes is done at an exponentially increasing pace and strength. The attack not only disables the enemy but also knocks them back with every set of strikes.


End file.
